Halfway during the match, Fulton shows up at ringside to encourage Dundee’s opponent…but didn’t interfere.  Fans, having seen the previous week’s events, were rabidly behind Fulton.  After Dundee finished off his opponent with a splash, Fulton motioned ring announcer Boyd Pierce into the ring to talk to Dundee.  See, Dundee had a famed pink jumpsuit he used to enter the ring.  Dundee would claim that if anyone beat him…they could wear the jumpsuit.  Fulton asked him if that indeed were still true.  Dundee said yes….but you didn’t beat me for it.  Fulton told him “I know that…but Little Coco did last week.”  And at that moment, Little Coco perhaps received the biggest pop of his career by walking to the ring in Dundee’s “famed” suit!!!  Dundee went crazy trying to get at Coco, who safely went outside the ring.  This brought out Mantell, and the two double teamed on Fulton until Tommy Rogers could even the score.  The whole time, both Jim Ross and Joel Watts called this seriously…and the angle was a success.  Simply interesting, and imaginative booking!!   

Buddy Landel:  Can you imagine a dark-haired Landel?  I couldn’t either, until I saw him.  At this stage in his career, Landel was used as a preliminary wrestler, mostly on the baby face side of things.  Although not getting a lot of wins, Landel was learning his craft.  As someone who enjoyed Landel’s later Mid-South run in 1983-85, it was fascinating to compare the Landel of 1985 with the Landel of 1981.  

The Emergence of the Doctor:  Steve Williams began to show his future greatness during 1985.  After teaming with Ted DiBiase to win the Mid-South tag belts from the Rock-n-Roll Express in early May, DiBiase and Doc wreaked havoc on all Mid-South teams, feuding with the Guerreros and Jake Roberts-Barbarian.  The quality of Doc’s work was on par with DiBiase’s.  Both men were heat generators, especially in Houston, my hometown.  Also, Doc’s teaming with Bob Sweetan was impressive, and helped to start a new angle with Wendell Cooley and Al Perez.  Besides the legendary stitch job Doc had after his match with Brad Armstrong, Doc was really put together.  He trimmed down from his 1983-4 weight, and simply became:  a machine.  Doc showed how good a worker he could be in 1985, a foreshadowing of things to come.   

Bob Orton:  What an interesting guy!!  A total heel, but a great worker none the less.  Orton was one of the lead heels in 1981-2 for Mid-South, and showed why he was a great heel.  Orton was great as both a singles wrestler, and as a tag team with Bob Roop.  The fans didn’t like these guys…because they were that good.  And, they were hated because they were good heels.  Orton, whom again I had not seen anything previous to his Mid-Atlantic stint in 1983, was an awesome Mississippi heavyweight champion until dropping the title to Mr. Olympia. 

How to Introduce a New Star:  In the summer of 1985, Dick Murdoch was involved in a war with Sir Oliver Humperdink and his protégé, then North American champion the Nightmare.  Murdoch and Humperdink had a war of words for a while, with Murdoch usually winning.  Finally…the time was to come where Murdoch and Nightmare would go at it on TV, until Humperdink gave an unusual twist.  In the ring, Humperdink said to Murdoch, “Yeah..you’re gonna wrestle…but it’s not him.  It’s the man coming down that aisle right over there….Lord Humongous!!”  Right then the tune of “War Machine,” by KISS blared over the PA at the Irish McNeil Boys Club.  And a guy right out of either Friday the 13^th, or the Road Warrior films, walked down a DIFFERENT aisle than the usual locker room.  Standing well over 6 feet, weighing in excess of “300 pounds,” Humongous made his way into the ring with a goalie mask from hockey like Jason from Friday the 13^th, with studded metal and leather arm collars, much like people in the Road Warrior.  In a territory with such big men as Kamala, Butch Reed, Duggan, Kareem Muhammad, and the Barbarian, Humongous still stood out.  And, after the bell rang…Dick Murdoch made Humongous a star in three minutes.  Acting impenetrable to pain, as evidenced by Murdoch’s selling his own elbow smash on top of the mask, Humongous would bloody Murdoch severely by headbutting him, slamming his head against the rail, and beating him with forearms…covered in metal.  After Murdoch passed out from the “shinna-no-maki” cobra clutch hold….the stunned crowd all became believers.  Jim Ross noted that the crowd was hushed while seeing one of their favorites get destroyed.  If anyone was laughing when Humongous was entering the ring….they certainly weren’t afterwards.  Murdoch was a huge key in getting Humongous over as an unstoppable monster. 

Mike George:  Mike George was great in 1981 as a tag team partner of the Junkyard Dog.  George’s pedigree in Mid-South was amazing.  2 Mississippi title reigns, 1 Louisiana title reign, and arguably 2 North American title reigns established George as a major deal in Mid-South.  George and JYD were embroiled in a war with the Samoans in 1981, and finally downed the team for the straps in October.  Again, I had never seen this part of George’s career, and it was interesting to see him work as a baby face.  

The Stampede’s Alive?:  In the late summer of 1985, Mid-South was peaking towards it’s August SuperDome show.  Dick Murdoch was challenging the Nightmare just weeks after being obliterated clean on TV against new star Lord Humongous.  The Fantastics would continue their war against Bill Dundee and Dutch Mantell.  And…Bill Watts was back again, teaming up with Hacksaw Duggan against Kamala and Kareem Muhammad.  The last time Watts came out of retirement, his team with “Stagger Lee” against Jim Cornette’s Midnight Express drew over 20,000 fans to the Superdome.  Despite Watts’ awesome ability to get angles over, including his own, a healthy-but less than expected 15,000 fans came out to see Watts get his revenge.  And the fans saw a shocking result…Watts was pinned and had to leave Mid-South for 90 days.  Soon after a man in a black mask began talking about how he had the power to overcome evil…and the Midnight Rider (not Dusty Rhodes’ version) would soon make his way to Mid-South Rings. 

What a ride!!  I enjoyed a break, and some great action and angles from Mid-South.  Truly, this territory was never boring, or at a lack for excitement and controversy.   

NEXT MONTH:

We will return to our overview of 1983 with a unique look at how some guys from Memphis, Tennessee revitalized….and revolutionized the Mid-South territory.