CWA WRESTLING: MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE
FROM THE MID-SOUTH COLISEUM:
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 1983
MATCH 1: TOMMY LANE VS LUKE GRAHAM
A great opening match that pits two fan favorites against each other but it is not what you would expect from the fan favorites. Luke Graham has never found a rule he likes or follows but the fans support him because he is anti-Ernie Ladd. Graham tries to indoctrinate Lane in the art of brutal beatings and has a lot of success. He might have underestimated his younger opponent who ducks under a right hand and then follows that up with a sustained attack that included a sidewalk slam and a jumping leg drop that almost gained him the victory. After regaining his advantage, Luke turned Lane away from Ref Paul Morton and caught him with a Golden Spike, (a tapped thumb to the throat) and got the three count.
Luke Graham defeated Tommy Lane by pin at 9:21
MATCH 2: BILL ASH VS LARS ANDERSON
Lars Anderson has agreed to fight his brother’s tag partner but hopes that tonight he can avoid any confrontations with Ole. As the match starts, it seems that Bill Ash is trying to settle the score for Ole and is in total control of Lars. Lars still seems a bit slow after the attack from Ole last Monday. Ash is able to work that injured right arm of Lars and appears that he will be going for the Anderson Armbar but Lars is able to turn the tide after he ducked under an elbow from Ash and caught him with a shoulder block. Lars took complete control but before he could gain the advantage, Ole hit the ring and went after Lars. Ref Jerry Calhoun calls for the bell and disqualified Bill Ash due to the interference by Ole at 8:06. Ole and Ash attack Lars 2-1 and have their way with him. Gene Anderson rushed down to the ring and steps in to stop the attack on Lars. This really gets Ole angry and he starts yelling at Gene to get out of his way. Gene refuses and seems to be saying that you will have to go through me to get to Lars. Ole seems to have such respect for Gene that he turns to leave. After one step away, Ole turns and sucker punches Gene. Ash now attacks Gene and Ole goes back to work on Lars. The attack ends with Lars and Gene screaming in agony as they are both trapped in the Anderson Armbar. Ole has Lars and Bill Ash has Gene. Other referees and CWA officials rush to the ring and separate the wrestlers. Lars and Gene seem to be in pain but both should be ok after a little medical attention.
MATCH 3: MISSISSPIPPI VALLEY TAG TEAM TITLE MATCH
MARK YOUNGBLOOD AND JULES STRONGBOW
VS
MOONDOG MORETTI AND HACKSAW HIGGINS
Both teams enter the match undefeated in the CWA and their paths crossed this past Saturday on TV as the champs, Higgins and Moretti attacked Strongbow and Youngblood. The champions enter to a chorus of boos but they don’t seem to care. Moretti comes to the ring wearing studded wrist guards and a studded dog color. I guess his name is in full effect tonight.
The challengers enter to a loud ovation as they too are decked out. Both Strongbow and Youngblood are wearing traditional Indian Headdresses and high wool boots. As the match starts, the challengers take control. They combine quick tags with a large repertoire of double teaming moves to keep the champs off balance. Mark Youngblood hits Higgins with a running front kick and then scoops him up for a fall down back body drop. As he goes for the pin, Moretti enters and makes the save but Strongbow also enters the ring. Four the next 3 minutes all 4 men are in the ring battling. After throwing Strongbow thru the ropes, Moretti goes to the corner and gets his studded wrist guards. While Higgins and Youngblood are doing battle, Moretti comes up from behind and nails Mark with the wrist guard. Youngblood goes down and Moretti proceeds to rake the studded guards across the forehead of Youngblood who is now wearing a crimson mask. Ref Jerry Calhoun calls for the bell and disqualifies the champions. Again, wrestlers and refs rush in from the back to break up the brawl.
Mark Youngblood and Jules Strongbow are declared your winners by DQ at 11:31 but Higgins and Moretti retain the championship
MATCH 4: THE DIRTY WHITE BOYS VS KING COBRA AND PORKCHOP CASH
This is the one Tony Anthony has been waiting for. It’s his chance to get even with King Cobra, his former tag team partner who turned on him and joined Ladd’s Army. Cobra and Cash play games on who is going to start the match. For the Dirty White Boys it is Tony Anthony. This seems to be what Ladd’s Army wanted as they start Porkchop Cash who has a size advantage now. The 265 pound Cash uses his weight advantage to gain the momentum. From here it is a series of quick tags that allows them to keep the advantage. King Cobra whipped Anthony into the ropes but Anthony hooks his arms around the ropes which causes Cobra to miss a flying headscissors. From there it was a tag out to Len Denton. Denton might be young but he is all fight. He cleans house and both members of Ladd’s Army end up on the floor. Denton follows out and now all four wage war out on the concrete. Porkchop Cash is having his way with Tony Anthony by the ramp that leads to the ring while King Cobra has just slammed Denton with a dropkick which caused him to fall into the steel barricade between the wrestlers and the fans.
The crowd begins to roar as that masked wrestler who has terrorized Ladd’s Army of late rushed to ringside with a chair. He begins to swing the chair at Cash who doesn’t see him. Just before the chair was to crash into Cash’s head, King Cobra hits a flying dropkick right into the chair which smashes right into the masked man’s face. Cash picks up the chair and begins to hit the masked man over and over again in the back of the head while King Cobra repeatedly kicks him in the ribs. Denton has re-entered the ring as the legal man. Referee Jerry Calhoun reaches 10 and has counted out Ladd’s Army. The Dirty White Boys are your winners at 13:45. The Dirty White Boys go out and once again attack Cash and Cobra. This allows the masked man to basically crawl to the back of the arena and escape further abuse. This is the first time any of Ladd’s man have been able to turn the tables on this masked man.
MATCH 5: ROWDY RODDY PIPER with JR FOLEY VS BRIAN ADIAS
JR Foley, who is quickly becoming the most hated man in the CWA, leads the cocky and brash Rowdy Roddy Piper to the ring while the bag pipes play Scotland the Brave. JR Foley is in the faces of the fans as he comes to the ring, screaming and pointing at the flag of the British Commonwealth. Brian Adias is already in the ring and must be a little concerned with his upcoming bout. Adias has been up and down of late but he has not wrestled many men the caliber of Piper.
As the bell sounds, it is obvious the Piper is going to make an example of Adias. He uses a series of legal and illegal moves, from eye gouges to knee lifts to face ripping to a massive British Bull dog. Adias is just being tortured. After each move, Piper covers him only to pull him up after a count of two. After an Irish Whip on Adias, Piper catches him in a sleeper and Adias soon goes out. Ref Paul Morton calls for the bell at 7:42 but Piper refuses to break the hold. Foley comes into the ring and Foley and Morton proceed to have a screaming match. Morton threatens to reverse the decision and finally Piper breaks the sleeper. Foley and Piper continue to laugh and celebrate and scream out things about weak Americans. Morton again warns Piper that he is responsible to wake up Adias. Piper just laughs and takes the flagpole and gives Adias a good whack which jolts him back from his nap! Piper and Foley make a good team. One more pompous then the other. CWA better watch out for this combo!
MATCH 6: AUSTIN IDOL AND SUPERSTAR GRAHAM VS THE COMMONWEALTH with JR FOLEY
The fans are really hoping that Idol and Graham can put a stop to the Commonwealth after what they just saw with Piper, they are really tired of Foley’s antics. Butch Miller and Lumberjack seem to thrive on Foley’s confidence. Idol begins the match and you can see he is back to the regular Austin Idol and last week was just a fluke when he wrestled so poorly against the House of Humperdink. Tonight he is all over Butch Miller and Lumberjack Pierre. The same goes for Superstar Graham once he was tagged in. Foley tried to turn the momentum when he got up on the apron and distracted Graham long enough for Pierre to catch him with a forearm to the head. This knocked him off balance. Pierre followed that up with a big legdrop but when he went for the pin, Idol rushed in to make the save. As the ref forced Idol out of the ring, Miller and Pierre used the time to illegally double team Superstar with a battering ram. (Higgins held Miller’s head and rushed at Graham’s abdominal region knocking the wind out of him.) Again, Idol rushed in for the save.
The last momentum change came after Idol was legally tagged in and rushed at Butch Miller who was on the apron and knocked him to the floor. He followed that up with a huge right hand to Pierre which knocked him to the canvass. Idol scooped up Pierre and nailed him with a piledriver. This was an illegal move in the CWA and ref Jerry Calhoun called for the bell disqualifying Idol and Graham but the crowd did not care. They loved seeing The Commonwealth down. Butch Miller rushed in to try and help his partner but before he reached Lumberjack Pierre, he was caught in a Superstar Bearhug. He was in a world of pain and again the crowd loved it. JR Foley was still on the outside of the ring going crazy. He wanted so bad to help his men but thought it wiser to stay on the floor. Graham and Idol left to the rousing approval of the fans while JR Foley screamed at Jerry Calhoun like it was his fault.
The Commonwealth won by DQ at 19:56.
MATCH 7: JYD, MR WRESTLING II AND TROY GRAHAM
VS
ERNIE LADD, HACKSAW REED AND BIG RED REESE
Ladd’s Army enters the ring first with the speakers blasting “Another One Bites the Dust.” The crowd can’t stand Ladd and his men for all their racist ideas but they are furious that Ladd has the nerve to still JYD’s music. They should not be surprised as just a few weeks ago, Ladd tried to steal Jerry Lawler’s crown and title “King of the CWA.”
After Ladd’s men reach the ring, the same music begins to blast and this time the fans are going wild. JYD and Mr. Wrestling II come to the ring but they appear to be alone. Where is Troy Graham? I mean all the people in the arena want Ladd to lose but if there is anyone who wants revenge it is Troy Graham. JYD and II explain to the ref that Graham is not here yet and that the match will begin 3-2.
As the match begins, a complete brawl takes place. JYD holds his own and has the fans going wild with his dog like antics. He catches Ladd with a series of head-butts and is able to take control. Mr. Wrestling II was also in control of the match in his first turn in the ring. He actually had a near pin on Reed after a Million Dollar Knee life but Reese came crashing down on him with his 410 pounds to make the save. From there, the man advantage just proved too much. After working JYD over in their corner, Reed Gorilla Press slammed him and went for the cover. Mr. Wrestling II made the save but now Ladd and Reese worked on him. Ladd connected with a Big Boot which sent II outside the ring. JYD was still down from the slam when Reed tagged in Reese. Reese connected with a Holy Ghost Splash on JYD and that was all she wrote.
Ladd’s Army won by pinfall at 18:23.
MATCH 8: AWA SOUTHERN HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE MATCH
JERRY LAWLER VS TOJO YAMAMOTO AND PLOWBOY FRAZIER with Sir Oliver Humperdink
This match is the result of Austin Idol being pinned by the House of Humperdink last week. Jerry Lawler enters to the cheers of his fans but even they believe this to be hopeless. The House of Humperdink has chosen Frazier and Yamamoto in this 2-1 match. The two of them plus Sir Oliver Humperdink seem rather smug on their way to the ring. They are verbally abusing the entire arena as the walk to the ring.
As the match starts, its Lawler vs Frazier. The first few minutes see Lawler on the attack but it takes a great deal of energy to take the 475 pounder off his feet. This was accomplished by a few kicks to the knees that hobbled Frazier followed by what seemed to be 10 stiff right hands. Once Lawler had him on the ground, he went to work with a series of elbow drops. Yamamoto had seen enough and rushed into the ring and literally jumped on Lawler’s neck. While ref Paul Morton forced Yamamoto out of the ring, this tactic had given Frazier enough time to recover. He now made a legal tag and now the most hated wrestler in the entire world starts to maniacally attack Lawler. Everything from punches and kick followed by a few chops and even a little biting had Lawler in some trouble. Tojo had many attempts at gaining a submission with is famous stomach claw but Lawler would never give up. Frustrated, he tagged Frazier back in. Frazier continued the attack for a few more minutes before one last tag. Yamamoto held Lawler as Frazier hit the ropes and rushed at Lawler for a huge squash. Lawler broke free of Yamamoto at the last second and Plowboy hit his own partner by mistake. Yamamoto flew through the ropes as a stunned Frazier and a stunned Humperdink looked on in shock. Lawler quickly capitalized with a drop kick on Frazier followed by a top rope fist drop for the victory.
Jerry Lawler was victorious by pinfall at 17:56.
MATCH 9: AWA SOUTHERN TAG TEAM TITLE MATCH
ROCK n ROLL EXPRESS vs THE JAPANESE ASSASSINS with Sir Oliver Humperdink
SCAFFOLD MATCH
There is a bit of a break in the action as workers erect the 25 foot scaffold. The Japanese Assassins are first to the ring and they seem a little hesitant to climb the 25 foot scaffold to the top. Sir Oliver Humperdink looks up but he doesn’t seem to care about the well- being of his men and demands they get to the top. Reluctantly, Magic Dragon and Goro Tsurami begin the ascent.
The speakers begin to blast, “Rock n Roll All Night” and the crowd goes wild. Robert Gibson and Ricky Morton also seem a bit nervous but quickly take their place atop the scaffold.
The rules are simple, when both members of one team reach the floor, the other team wins.
As the match starts, Gibson and Magic Dragon carefully make their way to the center of the ladders that join the two sides of the scaffold. They lock up collar and elbow. As they do this, Morton quickly crawls between both of their legs and is on Goro in a second. The teams continue to battle for a number of minutes but most of this is from a sitting position so they have a wide base for balance. Morton was able to catch Goro with an enzuguri kick which knocked him off balance. Goro ended up dangling from the side of one of the ladders and Ricky simple stomps on his hands until he lets go. Goro falls the 25 feet to the ring and appears to have hurt his ankle. Sir Oliver Humperdink is irate and begins to kick and scream. Magic Dragon begins to descend down the scaffold and it is hard to tell if he is quitting or hiding. Robert Gibson is in hot pursuit of him. Ricky Morton begins to come across the ladders like he is on the monkey bars when he was a kid. Magic Dragon sees this as a chance to at least take out one member of the Rock n Roll Express and starts to monkey bar at Ricky. They meet in the middle and begin to make giant swings at each other. Both were landing some heavy kicks to the chest of their opponent. Gibson is still in hot pursuit of Dragon and is monkey barring behind him. Ricky Morton and Robert Gibson are now alternating kicks on Magic Dragon. Ricky is hitting him in the chest and when he sways the other way, Robert is kicking him in the back. After about 3 rounds of this, Magic Dragon crashes to the ring. The Rock n Roll Express are the winners. At 15:21. Ricky and Robert careful monkey bar back across and descend to the ring as the crowd gives them a huge ovation.
Sir Oliver Humperdink thought he was leaving with both major titles tonight and goes home empty handed.
