One Year in Memphis – March 22, 1986

Reviews, Shows, TV Shows

RESULTS FROM SUNDAY NIGHT’S SHOW AT THE MID-SOUTH COLISEUM (courtesy of www.memphiswrestlinghistory.com)

Jerry Lawler/Dutch Mantell over Buddy Landel/Bill Dundee

Fantastics over the MOD Squad

Abdul Gadaffi over Billy Travis by DQ

Frank Morrell over Tony Falk

Jos LeDuc draw Dirty Rhodes

Paul Diamond over Pat Rose

The show opened with greetings from Lance Russell and Dave Brown. Brown then gave us a rundown on who’d be here today – Dundee and Landel, the Fantastics, the MOD Squad, and Jos LeDuc would also make his return. Russell introduced some studio guests from Galloway, Ireland as well as some fans from the Concord Academy before sending us to a quick commercial.

We came back to see Billy Travis taking on Keith Erich. Travis locked Erich in a headlock and took him down before starting to work on Erich’s arm. As the match went on, Russell discussed the influence that Frank Morrell had on Billy. Erich was able to hiptoss Travis down, but Travis regained his feet and returned the favor.

Erich claimed that Travis had pulled his tights before Travis took him back down and locked in an armbar that was only broken when Erich got into the ropes. Erich went for a quick walk and returned to action, only to get schoolboyed for a two count.

Erich took Travis down with a handful of hair, and Travis was obviously growing irate. Travis returned to working on the arm and Erich took him down the same away again. Travis had enough and landed a punch to Erich’s face.

Erich landed a chop and Travis backed Erich into the ropes before returning the favor. Travis then snapmared Erich over and locked in a chinlock. Erich once again got to the ropes for the break.

Erich raked Travis’s eyes and took control, only for Travis to slug his way back to control of the match. Travis hit a backbreaker and splashed Erich from the second rope for the win at 4:43.

Russell then sent us to an interview with Frank Morrell.

Morrell thanked Eddie Marlin for Travis’s shot at the International title. He then told Travis that he needed to keep training, and then we went to video of Travis training. Travis pounded out pushups, situps, and pull-ups as Morrell yelled out encouragement. We then saw Travis running alongside Morrell’s car. As Morrell promised that Travis would win the belt one day, we headed to commercial.

We came back for Lance Russell to run down the card for Evansville. We quickly went to an interview where Bill Dundee expressed his feelings about the match stipulation. Dundee claimed that his lawsuit against Marlin was still going, and Landel was going to sue for being prevented from working. Dundee then claimed that there was a conspiracy against him before promising to beat Mantell’s brains out.

We headed back to the studio to discover Landel and Dundee on their way out to face Jerry Garmon and Benny Traylor. Landel wound up starting against Traylor, and Landel immediately went to work on the arm. Landel quickly brought Dundee in, who started cranking on Traylor’s neck.

Landel and Dundee kept making quick tags while dominating Traylor and keeping him away from his corner. Garmon finally made his way in and Dundee took him down almost immediately.

It didn’t take long for Landel to lock Garmon in the figure four for the win at 2:45. After the match Landel refused to break the hold while Dundee stomped away on their fallen opponent.

We then went back to the commentators’ table, where Russell introduced a video interview with Jeff Jarrett.

Jeff explained that he’d grown up watching his father every Saturday on television. He also explained that when he saw how the fans reacted to his father at the wrestling matches, he knew how much they respected him. Jeff explained how this had inspired him to enter wrestling and become a wrestler just like Jerry.

Jeff then addressed the assault by Landel and Dundee, and he said that he wanted to referee another of Dundee’s matches. Jeff explained that he refused to give up on wrestling, and he was prepared to face Dundee again. He then recited an inspirational poem titled “Don’t Quit” while video ran of the incident with Landel and Dundee.

We came back from commercial to see Russell backstage to discuss the Evansville card.

After another quick commercial we came back to see Jos LeDuc on his way out to face David Haskins. Haskins was obviously apprehensive as the bell rang and with good reason as LeDuc overpowered him with every maneuver. LeDuc bounced Haskins’s head against the turnbuckle and then locked him in a front face lock. LeDuc threw a forearm before whipping Haskins across the ring and grabbing him by the throat. LeDuc released him before the DQ and whipped him against the ring and putting him down with a dropkick before hammering down fists upon him.

Haskins started throwing punches and backed LeDuc up before LeDuc escaped a whip and put Haskins down with a clothesline for the win at 2:14.

We then went to the video ad for the Jerry Lawler video that aired the week before.

We came back to the studio to meet JD Costello and the MOD Squad with Russell at the interview set. Costello showed Russell a bag full of gold coins that he said had been valued at $3,000. He offered to put up the coins against the Fantastics’ titles on TV that morning.

Russell pointed out that Eddie Marlin would make the decision and Costello renewed his challenge. We headed to commercial while Marlin made his decision.

We came back to find that the challenge had been accepted and the Fantastics were on their way out. Marlin was at commentary and confirmed that the Fantastics had agreed.

The brawl started before the bell rang and the Fantastics wound up running the MOD Squad out of the ring. Fulton waited as Spike entered. When Fulton gained the advantage, Basher came in only to get caught by a Rogers dropkick.

Rogers tagged back in and began cranking on Spike’s neck. Rogers caught Spike with a hiptoss and brought Fulton back in as Costello headed to commentary to jaw with Russell.

Basher finally got in as the crowd began chanting that JD was a wimp. It didn’t take long for Fulton to gain control of him, so Spike tagged back in.

Rogers tagged back in and went to work on Basher, bouncing his head off one turnbuckle, whipping him into the other corner, and monkey flipping him across the ring.

Fulton tagged back in and covered for a 1 count. Fulton locked in a front face lock but wound up getting backed into the Squad’s corner to allow Spike back in. Fulton soon fought back to his corner and Rogers tagged in.

Rogers kept the pressure on even as Basher tagged back in. Rogers put him down with another dropkick and began cranking on a headlock.

The tide shifted when Spike caught him from behind and then tagged back in. Spike covered for a two count and then brought Basher back in. The two assaulted Rogers while Costello yelled instructions.

Spike tagged in and caught Rogers with a clothesline for two. Spike tried again and got another two, so he brought Basher back in who kept the pressure on Rogers, putting him down with a body slam for 2.

Rogers finally escaped a double team and brought Fulton back in, who was the proverbial house afire. Fulton rolled up Basher and Costello climbed into the ring. Costello cracked Fulton with the bag (which happened to be filled with washers), Basher covered, and we had new champions. That brought Eddie Marlin out to take custody of the belts. Marlin returned the belts to the Fantastics and told Costello that he’d have to put $3,000 of the Squad’s money (which Marlin had courtesy of their paychecks) to get a rematch.

Russell denounced Costello’s scam and reiterated that the Fantastics kept their titles before we went to commercial.

We came back for the final hype for Wednesday night’s show. Mantell soon joined Russell to claim that everything was finally going his way thanks to the stipulations on the match. Mantell added that he wasn’t afraid of Dundee and he would be leaving the new champion.

Then it was back to the ring for the main event as Tony Falk and Pat Rose faced off against Paul Diamond and Michael Lee. Diamond and Rose started the match as Russell advised the viewers that Falk had told him that he’d be winning the match that day to break his losing streak.

Diamond fought hard against Rose, who tagged Falk in. Diamond took control of Falk and brought Lee in. Lee kept the trend going by arm dragging Falk over and locking in an armbar. Falk broke it with a hair pull and Lee soon took control back.

Falk saw the writing on the wall and brought Rose in, who muscled Lee into the corner and started chopping him down, then stomping him while he was on the mat. Rose planted Lee with a suplex, dropped a knee for good measure, and brought Falk back in.

Falk tagged Rose in and played to the crowd before leaving the ring. Rose locked Lee in a headlock and then whipped him into the turnbuckle. Rose continued to dominate his dazed foe as Falk cheered him on from the apron. Falk came off the second turnbuckle and dropped a fist before sending Lee to the mat with a shot to the throat. Falk started choking Lee, breaking right before the five count.

A clothesline took Lee down for a two count and Falk decided to bring Rose back in. Rose power slammed Lee down and dropped an elbow before covering for a one count. Rose pulled Lee up and brought Falk back in.

Lee escaped an Irish whip and brought Diamond back in. Diamond dominated both Rose and Falk, eventually dropkicking Rose out of the ring. Diamond put Falk down with a Russian leg sweep, then rolled him up for the win at 5:24.

We came back from commercials to see Russell and Brown closing the show. Brown recapped the events of the day and Russell closed us out.

FULL CARD FOR WEDNESDAY NIGHT’S SHOW AT THE EVANSVILLE COLISEUM

Southern Heavyweight title match
Buddy Landel is barred from the building
Bill Dundee © vs. Dutch Mantell

Southern Tag Team title match
Titles vs. $3,000 of the MOD Squad’s money
Fantastics © vs. the MOD Squad

International Heavyweight title match
Abdul Gadaffi © vs. Billy Travis

Frank Morrell vs. Tony Falk

Jos LeDuc vs. Dirty Rhodes

Paul Diamond vs. Pat Rose