[1990-01-13-USWA-Memphis TV] Bill Dundee and Billy Joe Travis

[Loss]

Talk about it here.

[Loss]

Last few minutes of some good action from Mid South Coliseum. Travis breaks a guitar over Dundee's head and secures the win.

 

Back at the studio, Dundee is out in cow-print pants and a studded leather jacket with the remains of the guitar. Dundee SHOOTS, pointing out that Travis was raised in Lexington, KY, not Texas, and that he grew up wanting to be like Bill Dundee. They're hyping a guitar-on-a-pole match between these two on Monday night, which I would buy a ticket for.

 

Travis sends in a taped promo strumming a guitar, and Dundee responds to that too. "You look exactly what you are, a big woman!"

 

This all wraps up with a music video set to "Jailhouse Rock" of Travis doing his full gimmick. All the clips are from Dallas, but he is really into his gimmick. Lots more Travis to come on this yearbook. That segues into him singing and playing "Love Me Tender" horribly with his back turned to the camera in an Elvis jumpsuit. This is really more a feature than a video, and it's a great one that shows all the stuff that was so fun about one of the lost great workers of the time.

[PeteF3]

Fuck I want video of that guitar-on-a-pole match.

 

Kudos to the perpetually unheralded Marc Lowrance for keeping a straight face during Travis' attempted rendition of Gypsies, Tramps, & Thieves.

[Phil Schneider]

Yeah me too, Dundee might be the best "on a pole" wrestler in history

[Kevin Ridge]

Travis is not much of a singer but he does really get into the whole dancing and moving of the gimmick.

[soup23]

Pretty good fired up Dundee promo and I loved the woman line after seeing Travis in the robe. The video with Travis was real effective in getting over what his character was all about and his singing and gyrating was annoying.

[Matt D]

They're hyping a match between these two on Monday night, which I would buy a ticket for.

This is what always amazes me about Memphis. the TV was so good at building to Monday. Every single week. It's insane the level of difficulty in that.

[Cox]

Between Bill Dundee and his leather jacket, dyed black mullet, and cowprint pants, and Billy Joe Travis and his yellow jumpsuit and blondafroperm, some great early 90's fashion on display here. Great promo by Dundee and the Travis video was really, really good, as Travis is a pretty great heel. Pretty obvious that Jeff Jarrett stole a lot of his heel characteristics from Travis, to the point where he should still be paying royalties to the Travis estate.

[JerryvonKramer]

Billy Travis has turned up as a jobber in the 1984 TNT stuff I've been watching recently, so interesting see him later in his career here getting a win over Dundee.

 

Dundee said exactly what I was thinking about Travis: "You look like a woman". Ha ha ha

 

Travis's singing is hilariously atrocious. And his dancing even more so. Funny guy.

[Johnny Sorrow]

Billy Joe is so fucking great.

[Busterira]

I had never seen this video of Billy Joe Travis before...hilarious. What a find. I can't wait to see more of him. He looks like the long lost brother of Robert and Ron Fuller.

[Laney]

Billy Joe Travis is featured here so I am loving this. Anybody planning on making a Billy Travis comp? If so you can take my money now. Great promos and video to set up a match that I would pay to see. USWA has been absolutely great so far on this set.

[Bix]

Love this. In the video, Travis takes the highest back bodydrop I've ever seen him take, which says a lot.

[cheapshot]

My first exposure to Billy Joe Travis, but I am liking what I see so far.

[Zoo Enthusiast]

Music video is fucking epic.

[DR Ackermann]

First time seeing Billy Joe Travis and I already really like him. I've heard good things but I didn't know what to expect. Seems really funny, great character work and his promo was better than Dundee's, who I also really like. I can see Billy Joe really getting under a crowd's skin.

[garretta]

Seems to me like someone's been watching the Honky Tonk Man! Seriously, it would make sense, since Travis and Wayne Ferris undoubtedly crossed paths in Memphis at some point. I have to say, as wrestler-wannabe musicians (or musician-wannabe wrestlers, take your choice) go, Billy Joe's not half-bad.

 

My favorite line from Dundee was, "Maybe it's a good thing you hit me in the head. That's the reason I'm standin' here!" It's nice to know that, in an age where many babyfaces literally proclaim themselves (or are proclaimed by their promoters) immortal that the art of self-deprecation isn't dead.

[Johnny Guitar]

Good look at Travis, who comes across as someone you want to see take a beating. Dundee's promo was good and his cowskin pants are totally pro wrestling.

[drew wardlaw]

So did Jeff Jarrett learn guitar breaking from Billy Joe Travis? Haven't seen him before, but he shreds. The Memphis segments I've seen so far are almost absurdist comedy skits or performance art or something. I'm really into this.

[GSR]

A clip of a Bill Dundee vs Billy Joe Travis match from the Mid-South Coliseum, and a shoulder block between the two sees Dundee take a tumble backwards and into Jerry Calhoun who gets knocked down. Travis gets his guitar and clobbers it over Dundee's head, with Calhoun then coming round to count the fall. Unfortunately, due to the camera angle the guitar shot is completely missed and we just see the back of Travis instead.

 

In the studio and Dundee is out for an interview and he has the broken guitar with him. He says that what happened was his own fault as he knew that Travis had the guitar out there with him, and he should have gone and got it himself and beaten Travis over the head with it first. He didn't want to do that as he wanted to wrestle him instead and defeat him like that. He's not going to cry about it as this week they've got a 'guitar on a pole' match. He's never lost a pole match in his life, whether there's a belt, kendo stick, coal miners glove or anything, it doesn't matter as he ends up getting it and he ends up winning. Come Monday night when he climbs that pole and gets that guitar he's going to bash it over BIlly Joe Travis' head, and when he's done that, he's going to do it again!

 

We go to a video interview from Travis who appears to be wearing a cheap imitation Ric Flair robe. He has another guitar with him and also claims to have burned the jump suit that he stole from Dundee! He says that the outcome to this 'guitar on a pole' match wont be any different to what happened last time, and Bill Dundee is going to get the guitar clocked over his head!

 

Back in the studio and Dundee says that Travis looks exactly like what he is, a big woman in all those feathers! He then reiterates that he's going to get bashed over the head on Monday night.

 

Finally we get a Billy Joe Travis music video set to 'Jailhouse Rock'. This is fantastic with Travis in his yellow jump suit doing knock off Elvis Presley moves and clocking people over the head with his guitar. He even treats us to a bit of Love Me Tender at one point too!

 

Excellent segments to hype the 'Guitar on a Pole' match. The Dundee interview is great and the Travis music video needs to be seen.

[dawho5]

That's two amazing videos featuring some of the most godawful singing and dancing you've ever seen so far...on disc 1 alone! Something about the Memphis area and great uses of music to enhance character on TV should be mentioned as well. Not many ever did it better.

[Stiva]

When I first started this yearbook (and lost myself half way through), Billy Joe Travis was my biggest revelation. I'm so happy to see that rewatching it hasn't dulled my love for him. I have a strong affinity for campy music videos as a way to get heels over and this is one of the most effective you'll see.