Initially, Eddie Gilbert was lost in the Mid South singles shuffle amidst guys like Ted DiBiase, Hacksaw Duggan, Jake Roberts, Butch Reed, Buzz Sawyer, Terry Taylor and Dick Slater. His televised matches were usually with El Corsario, Jimmy Backlund and Tommy Wright—solid action, but not much in the way of generating any special interest. Gilbert did draw attention with his fan appreciation contest, in which he offered a self-portrait to some “lucky” fan that won a contest that apparently existed only in Gilbert’s mind. The Bruise Brothers wound up defacing the portrait in a classic bit, and it seemed as though Gilbert was ready to assume the role previously held by Buddy Landel in Mid South, that of the wrestler who was made to appear silly but still retained credibility as a solid worker…  

“There in the fog his song kept calling me
Leading me on with its haunting melody
Deep in my heart a voice kept echoing
I knew I'd soon be wandering”… 

Eddie Gilbert and the Nightmare reconciled and captured the Mid South tag straps in November 1986.They defended the titles against teams like Steve Doll and Brad Ringo. Since part of the Bill Watts Mid South magic was mixing and matching good guys versus bad guys in tag competition to maximize the angles between the promotions top stars, Gilbert and the Nightmare’s title reign was mid-card material. A good example of this was a televised six man match pitting Gilbert, the Nightmare and Steve Williams (at that time a treacherous heel) against Al Perez, Hector Guerrero and Rick Gibson. It was an exciting match, but it did little to elevate Eddie and the Masked Champion (he was actually referred to as that several times on Mid South television) as main eventers. The Nightmare left the area during December 1985, and Dick Murdoch replaced him as Gilbert’s tag partner. The new championship duo dropped the tag titles to the newly minted face team of Steve Williams and Ted DiBiase on December 26, 1985 in Biloxi, Mississippi.

Shortly thereafter, Eddie Gilbert announced his “retirement” as a wrestler. His first recruit was Korstia Korchenko, a Russian. Ugh. There is a reason that ol’ Korstia hasn’t been heard from since his Mid South/UWF stint. He was horrible in the ring, and received a huge push even though it was evident that he couldn’t work. That didn’t deter Eddie, though. Gilbert’s considerable charisma not only made Korchenko a credible heel, but also set the stage for his next two acquisitions. On the surface they looked like blatant imitations of the Road Warriors, who were the most popular tag team in the world at that time. The duo had started out in California as Power Team USA and later competed in Memphis as the Freedom Fighters (influenced by Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow?) As part of the aforementioned Bill Watts/Jerry Jarrett trades, they came to Mid South. The name of the team? The Bladerunners.           

“Far beyond these castle walls
Where the distant harbour meets the sky
There the battle raged like hell
And every dove had lost its will to fly”            

Well, that’s it for this time. I am getting scared even thinking about the Life Form Who has Evolved into the Warrior (although Sting seems like an alright guy). Thanks for taking the time to read my ramblings. Many thanks to those who have e-mailed me with questions and suggestions. I apologize for not responding quicker, due to any unexplainable glitch with my new computer. In any event, please feel free to e-mail me at CL11@swt.edu with any comments you might have. Please remember your family, your friends, and those who are serving our country.  And until next time… 

“Far beyond these castle walls
Where I thought I heard Tiresias say
Life is never what it seems
And every man must meet his destiny.” 

NEXT MONTH: 

Bladerunners and Russians—a match only made in the UWF.