One Year in Memphis – April 12, 1986

Reviews, Shows, TV Shows

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

Jerry Lawler over Bill Dundee

Dutch Mantell over Buddy Landel

Paul Diamond/Michael Lee over the MOD Squad (DQ)

Billy Travis over Rip Rogers

Tony Falk draw Jeff Jarrett

Jos LeDuc over Jim Jameson/Keith Eric

Abdul Gadaffi over Frank Morrell

Pat Rose over Tojo Yamamoto

The show opened with Lance Russell flying solo this week. Russell informed us that we’d be seeing Billy Travis, JD Costello and his MOD Squad, Paul Diamond and Michael Lee, Bill Dundee and Buddy Landel, Jerry Lawler would face Pat Rose, and the main event would feature Dutch Mantell taking on Abdul Gadaffi.

After a quick commercial, we returned to the studio to see Billy Travis set to face the Masked Patriot. Travis immediately took the Patriot down with a hiptoss and then started working on the Patriot’s left arm. The Patriot finally got into the ropes to escape the armbar.

Travis immediately took him back down and back into the armbar. The Patriot finally whipped Travis into the ropes only to take a hiptoss for his trouble before getting taken down and put right back into the armbar.

Travis released the Patriot, whipped him across the ring, back dropped him, and went back to the armbar. The Patriot tried a hiptoss but Travis held on, sending the Patriot back into the ropes. Travis cinched in a headlock before returning his attention to the armbar. Travis kept working the arm as the Patriot tried to hang on.

The Patriot finally seized an opening and whipped Travis into the corner before taking him down. Travis retaliated by nailing a clothesline in the Patriot’s midsection before taking him down and pinning him for the win at 4:34.

Billy then joined Russell in front of the commentary table for a few words. Russell congratulated Travis on defending his title and mentioned that Rip Rogers was on the way in. Travis thanked Frank Morrell and Phil Hickerson for their help, and also the fans for their support. Travis then told Rogers that there was no way he’d be taking the International belt away.

We then headed back to the ring where Tojo Yamamoto and Henry Rutledge were set to take on the MOD Squad with Jeff Jarrett as the ref. Basher and Yamamoto started the match, and Basher easily overpowered Yamamoto until Tojo began throwing chops that backed both Squad members off. Rutledge tagged in and Basher regained control of the match by powerslamming Rutledge and dropping an elbow. He then tagged Spike in and Spike continued the assault.

Spike dropped a leg and fired off a kick as Costello wandered off from commentary to help cheer on the Squad. Basher came back in and continued working on Rutledge’s arm. Basher suplexed him and covered for a two count (before he pulled Rutledge up). He then draped Rutledge over the ropes so that Costello could jaw at him for a moment. After a bit of double teaming, Basher tagged Spike back in.

Spike kept working the arm as the crowd jeered at Costello. The Squad made another quick tag as the Squad wrapped Rutledge’s arm over the ropes. The Squad quickly fell back into their usual routine – keep making quick tags while keeping Rutledge isolated. Spike finally covered and got the three count.

After a quick break, we headed backstage so Russell could fill us in on Wednesday night’s card. After announcing the cage matches, we headed to video comments from Dundee and Landel.

Dundee claimed that the whole thing was their plan so that they could destroy Lawler and Mantell. Landel then reiterated that they’d asked for the cages since they’d always have to chase Lawler or Mantell around the arena. Dundee finished by saying that he’d embarrass Lawler into running out of town.

We came back to the studio to see Costello and the MOD Squad joining Russell at the interview set. Costello told Russell that all of New Orleans was celebrating the Squad’s victory and then showed off a ring that his mother had bought him. Costello advised that the Squad were fighting champions, and then addressed Diamond and Lee – promising that they couldn’t beat the Squad.

Diamond and Lee were already in the ring, set to face Keith Eric and Tony Falk, who headed to commentary. Falk again brought up his challenges to Jackie Fargo and Jeff Jarrett, and mentioned that he’d not received a reply. He then said that Jeff Jarrett had to be a coward. Russell mentioned that Falk might want to focus on the match he had then as Jerry Lawler came out of the back.

Lawler said that they’d talk about Falk being a coward. Lawler mentioned that he’d been wrestling Dundee and Falk had thrown ink in his eyes. Lawler claimed that Falk only wanted to wrestle Jarrett because he wasn’t trained, and then Lawler challenged Falk to a match.

Falk replied that the Jarretts were only hiding behind Lawler. Lawler began stalking Falk around the ring only for Jeff Jarrett to run out of the back and attack Falk. The two brawled as Lawler cheered Jarrett on. Eddie Marlin soon emerged from the back to break up the fight. Marlin pulled Jarrett off and dragged him backstage.

Back in the ring, Eric was not at all pleased with this turn of events as his partner had also fled backstage. Finally Falk returned and Eric entered the ring to start against Paul Diamond. Diamond quickly took control of the match while Falk headed to commentary to complain about Jarrett jumping him from behind.

Eric headed for a tag as Falk returned to commentary to bash Jarrett. Russell mentioned that Falk’s comments may have stirred the pot as Falk again left his partner to discuss the situation with Russell. In the ring, Diamond and Lee were dismantling Eric.

Falk dodged yet another tag and headed to commentary to talk about how Lawler was who the Jarretts were using to fight their battles. Eric shouted at Falk as he returned again to commentary (dodging a tag in the process).

Eric got away from Lee and went for a tag, only to discover that Falk was halfway down the apron jawing with the crowd before returning to commentary. He returned to his corner just in time for Diamond and Lee to dropkick Eric and get the win at 4:19.

With the match over, Falk headed to commentary to continue his discussion with Russell. The mood changed as Lawler came back out. Lawler told Falk that Eddie Marlin had agreed to add Falk vs. Jarrett to the week’s card.

Lawler told Falk that he knew that Falk only wanted to fight Jarrett because he wasn’t a wrestler. Lawler added that he knew that Jarrett (or half the crowd) could take him. Falk responded by promising to burn his gear in the ring if he lost to Jarrett.

We came back from commercials to find Russell backstage to discuss the upcoming show a bit more.

We headed back to the studio to see Dundee facing Jim Jameson. Dundee and Jameson were trading punches until Dundee caught Jameson with an elbow and then slapped him on the back of the head. Dundee ranted at Jameson as he slapped him in the face. Dundee soon put Jameson away with a power slam at 1:18. After the match, he gave Jameson another stomp before heading to commentary to reclaim his title.

We came back from commercials to see Jarrett in the ring to referee the match between Pat Rose and Lawler. Rose attacked Lawler before the bell and took down the King. Rose bounced Lawler’s head off the turnbuckle and pounded him in the corner before Lawler reversed an Irish whip and back dropped Rose.

Lawler began hammering Rose in the corner before throwing him across the ring and trapping Rose in a headlock. Rose tried to grab Lawler’s hair to break up the hold but Jarrett was right there to catch him. Rose grabbed Lawler’s hair and took him down into an armbar only to be forced to break the hold by Jarrett.

Rose grabbed the headlock again and Lawler was able to escape before getting shoulder blocked down. Lawler put Rose down with a hiptoss and then threw a right hand. Rose called for the test of strength and both men began kicking each other in the stomach, with Rose getting the bad end of the deal.

Rose backed Lawler into the corner and started throwing right hands before trapping Lawler in a headlock. Rose finally released Lawler and started stomping him. Lawler soon regained both his feet and control of the match. Rose then caught Lawler charging him and caught him with both feet to send Lawler down.

Rose suplexed Lawler down and covered for a two count. Rose pulled Lawler up and slammed him before dropping an elbow that Lawler dodged. Lawler dropped the strap and began firing right hands to send Rose down. Lawler suplexed Rose and then climbed to the second rope to drop the fist. Lawler covered for the three at 6:04.

After another commercial break, we heard about Wednesday night from Russell one more time. Mantell joined Russell to tell Landel that there’d be no Dundee to help him out that time. Mantell promised he’d be leaving with the belt.

Lawler then joined Russell. Lawler said this was the match he’d been hoping for ever since the loser leaves town match. He promised to take out all of his frustration on Dundee in the cage.

We headed back to the studio to see Mantell taking on Abdul Gadaffi. Before that, we paused for the Lawler video commercial.

After the commercial, it was match time. The two men locked up and Gadaffi shoved Mantell into a corner. He did so again and Mantell locked up again, only for Gadaffi to trap him in an armbar. A quick hair pull sent Mantell to the mat. Mantell regained his feet and another hair pull sent him back down.

Mantell showed his experience advantage by simultaneously complaining to the ref about the hair pulls and returning the favor to Gadaffi. Mantell then locked Gadaffi in a headlock and then bounced off the Libyan with an attempted shoulder block.

Mantell went back to the headlock and got Irish whipped. He ducked one clothesline but not the second. Gadaffi choked Mantell and then dropped an elbow from the second rope for a two count.

Gadaffi began clubbing away at Mantell. Mantell then got whipped across the ring again and was trapped in a bear hug. Mantell began firing right hands but was unable to escape. An elbow between the eyes got him loose, only for Gadaffi to lock the hold again. Gadaffi released Mantell and clubbed him before slamming him. Gadaffi dropped another elbow and another two count.

Mantell began kicking Gadaffi in the gut to get something going and the two began trading blows until Gadaffi raked Mantell’s eyes. The opening got Gadaffi the opening he needed to trap Mantell in the bear hug yet again. Gadaffi slammed Mantell into the corner and again started clubbing him, only for Mantell to fight his way out of the corner.

Gadaffi slammed Mantell down and returned to the second rope, but this elbow found nobody at home. Mantell dropped the straps and started throwing punches. Mantell got whipped across the ring and accidentally clotheslined the ref. With the ref down, Gadaffi appropriated his belt and began hanging Mantell with it.

As the bell rang to DQ Gadaffi, Mantell fought free and used the belt to whip Gadaffi out of the ring.

We came back to hear Russell run down the day’s results. Russell said that Dave Brown would be back the next week and promised some live and taped matches the next week before saying goodbye for another week.

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

Southern Heavyweight title
Cage match
Bill Dundee © vs. Jerry Lawler

Mid-America title
Cage match
Buddy Landel © vs. Dutch Mantell

Southern Tag Team titles
MOD Squad © vs. Paul Diamond./Michael Lee

International title
Billy Travis © vs. Rip Rogers

Street Fight
Jeff Jarrett vs. Tony Falk

Adbul Gadaffi/Pat Rose vs. Pat Tanaka/Jeff Young

Handicap match
Jos LeDuc vs. two opponents