RESULTS FROM LAST WEEK’S SHOW AT THE MID-SOUTH COLISEUM (courtesy of www.memphiswrestlinghistory.com)
Fire and Flame won a tag team battle royal
Akio Sato/Tarzan Goto over Giant Hillbilly/Paul Diamond
Tracy Smothers over the Ninja
Jerry Jarrett over Tojo Yamamoto
Tommy Rich/Jerry Lawler over Fire and Flame
Jeff Jarrett/Pat Tanaka over Memphis Vice
King Cobra over Torch
Lance Russell and Dave Brown welcomed us to the show. Brown let us know that today we’d be seeing Tracy Smothers defend his Mid-America title against the Ninja. We’d also see Torch, Jet Star, Akio Sato and Tarzan Goto, Jerry Lawler and David Haskins would team to face the Memphis Vice, and Fire and Flame would be in the main event.
After a quick commercial, we came back to see Lance Russell introduce a video from Tojo Yamamoto. Tojo trashed Jerry Jarrett, and then talked about how he’d asked Eddie Marlin for a match against Jerry. Marlin had refused because of Jerry’s eye issue. Tojo ranted about how Eddie had allowed Jarrett to manage before promising to come for Jarrett.
From there we went to a video showing the attack on Tracy Smothers by the MOD Squad before Paul Diamond ran in for the save. From there we went to the same music video on Smothers and Diamond from the week before.
We then returned to the studio to see Smothers in the ring waiting for the arrival of the Ninja who soon entered with his manager, Tojo Yamamoto. The Ninja got first blood with a side kick and then fired off strikes that staggered Smothers. Smothers dodged a clothesline and slammed the Ninja down twice. The Ninja bailed for a quick chance to regroup.
The Ninja reentered the ring and caught Smothers with kicks and a head butt to put him down. A dropkick turned the tide from Smothers and the two began circling each other again. The two locked up and a quick shot to the crowd and commentary brought us back to see Smothers battling the Ninja, who now had a black circle over his lower regions after splitting the back of his pants.
Smothers was thrown to the floor where Tojo cracked him with his kendo stick. A bloody Smothers reentered the ring and the Ninja was waiting for him. The Ninja threw a few strikes and Smothers went down. The Ninja covered for a fast three count and the chaotic match mercifully ended.
We returned from commercial to find Michael St. John backstage to talk about the week’s show in Evansville. Tracy Smothers joined St. John and promised a fight before promising to take care of Tojo if he tried to interfere.
Jerry Lawler then came in. Lawler said that although he never wanted to wager his hair, he was willing to in order to unmask either Fire or Flame. He also promised that he and Rich would unmask their opponents.
We returned to the studio to find Russell at the interview set to explain that the Ninja did get a three count and they’d just not seen in. He was then joined by Jerry Lawler, who asked Russell if they were sure that the Ninja had won. Lawler protested and said that the ref must have just wanted to get the Ninja out of the ring since his rear end was hanging out.
Lawler then switched gears to talk about his newly-won Southern title. Lawler pointed out that he had to surrender the International title since the CWA only allowed a wrestler to hold one belt. Lawler advised that the Southern champion had a shot at the world champion and also explained that the International title forced him to do more traveling than he liked.
Lawler then said that he’d be facing one of Fire, Flame, or Torch and said that they needed to start getting unmasked. Russell pointed out that Lawler’s opponent would be Torch, but they couldn’t be sure that he’d be the only one in the ring.
Sure enough, Torch entered the ring with Flame at ringside. The bell rang and the two locked up. Torch backed Lawler into the corner and threw a right hand. Lawler escaped the corner and the two began circling before locking up once more and once more Lawler was backed into the corner. Lawler rolled up Torch from behind and earned a three count.
Flame entered the ring and demanded a match. Lawler thought a moment and accepted. Flame jumped Lawler coming through the ropes and put him down with a back elbow. Flame rammed Lawler into the turnbuckle and then stopped him with a shot to he midsection. Flame hit a high knee and tapped Flame on the back. Flame thought he’d won and stood only for Lawler to roll him up for a win as well.
That brought Fire out. Fire demanded a match and promised that they’d all unmask if Lawler could beat him. Lawler nodded and reentered the ring once more.
Fire jumped Lawler coming through the ropes and hit a back body drop to put the King down. Fire dropped a knee and earned a two count., Fire whipped Lawler across the ring and dropped an elbow for a two count. A head butt earned another two count. Fire hit a reverse neck breaker and earned yet another two count.
Fire threw a punch that put Lawler down and hit another head butt. Lawler dodged a falling head butt and started throwing punches. Lawler put Fire down with a dropkick and Flame climbed to the apron. With the referee distracted Fire threw powder in Lawler’s eyes to blind him. Fire covered and got the win, saving the team’s masks.
We returned from commercial to St. John for another rundown of Wednesday night’s card.
We then headed back to the studio where Russell was joined at the interview set by Tojo, Sato, and Goto. Tojo said that they were accused of being “sneaky Japs†and denied the charge before showing off a can of paint. He promised to paint a yellow streak down Jeff’s back before whipping him with a belt. Tojo then promised that Sato and Goto would win the match as Russell tried to get the paint sent to the back.
Sato and Goto headed to the ring to face Jim Jameson and David Johnson. Jameson and Goto started with Goto getting an early advantage that culminated with a head butt that put Jameson down. Goto hit a chop and brought in Sato.
Sato hit a tomahawk chop of his own before nailing a snap mare and stomping Jameson. Goto came back in and caught Jameson with a kick to the ribs.
Outside the ring, Jeff Jarrett and Pat Tanaka showed up. Jarrett grabbed the pain and emptied it over Tojo’s head. That led to a brawl outside the ring where Tojo wielded weapons such as the empty paint can, his kendo stick, the belt, and a steel chair. Sato then held Jeff up between the ropes, freeing Tojo to hit Jarrett with the belt and his kendo stick.
Randy Hales ran to commentary to explain that Lawler had left the studio as Russell kept calling for help. Finally Eddie Marlin came out only for Goto to intercept him and take him down. Tojo headed to commentary to demand that Jerry come out as Sato and Goto attacked Marlin.
Finally Tojo, Sato, and Goto headed to the back as Marlin and Russell checked on Jeff while Randy Hales helped Tanaka up. Marlin told Russell to get Tojo out there for a match against him right then.
Marlin entered the ring and ordered Jerry Calhoun to count Tojo out with Tojo getting fired if he failed to appear. Marlin told Russell that he’d give Tojo his beating and pulled away from a protesting Russell before heading backstage to look for him.
A disgusted Russell gave a rundown of the events before Tojo came out and grabbed Russell, demanding Marlin come back out. As Russell threatened lawsuits, Tojo entered the ring. Marlin came in and Tojo threw salt in Marlin’s eyes before taking him down to assault him. Sato and Goto headed to ringside to support their manager as Tojo bit Marlin’s forehead, busting him open. Tojo threw chop after chop at the defenseless Marlin until Jeff Jarrett and Tanaka, both with chairs, hit the ring. Tojo bailed as Russell called him trash and Jeff checked on his grandfather.
Russell called Tojo a disgrace as Tojo called out Jerry Jarrett one more time. Russell kept ordering Tojo out of the studio. Tojo grabbed Russell again and Russell admitted that Tojo could whip him but Russell would sue Tojo for all he had. Finally Dave Brown sent us to commercial.
That brought us to the Memphis Vice, who protested when they saw that Lawler was replaced by Jim Jameson, who was David Haskins’s partner. Randy Hales said that Lawler had left after the Fire and Flame match. The Vice finally said that Lawler could stay in the back if he was afraid and headed to the ring.
Bryant started against Haskins. Bryant got a headlock and whipped Haskins across the ring. Haskins and Bryant traded leapfrogs until Haskins dropkicked him down and locked in an armbar. Bryant raked Haskins’s eyes and brought Winston in.
Haskins arm dragged Big Lou down and Lou hit the floor to protest that his tights had been pulled. Winston returned to the ring and locked up with Haskins again. Haskins got a headlock and took Winston down. Winston regained his feet and tagged in Bryant. After a quick double team Bryant slammed Haskins down and rammed him into the turnbuckle. Bryant followed up with a Samoan drop and Haskins started throwing punches to try and fight back.
Jameson tagged in and Bryant suplexed him down. Bryant sent Jameson’s head into Lou’s knee and hit a backbreaker. Winston tagged in and caught Jameson with a big boot. He followed that with a suplex and dropped an elbow. Lou rammed Jameson into the turnbuckle and tagged Bryant back in.
Bryant clotheslined Jameson down and covered for the three count at 3:54.
As Haskins checked on his partner, we returned to Russell at the interview set. Russell admitted that he was preparing to keep a baseball bat behind the desk to fend off Tojo. The cameras pulled back to reveal that Russell held a claw hammer in his hand as he said that he knew that Tojo could kill him, but he’d get in one good shot between Tojo’s eyes. Russell then ordered Tojo out for a message from Jerry Jarrett.
Tojo held his kendo stick at the ready and didn’t get too close to Russell. Russell said he didn’t want to fight Tojo, but Tojo was a disgrace to the Japanese people. Russell revealed that he’d filled Jerry in on Tojo’s actions and Jerry had ordered him to sign the match. Russell promised that he’d be pulling for Jerry as he reiterated that although Jarrett was blind in one eye, he’d still be man enough to face Tojo one on one.
We returned to the backstage area where St. John gave a last reminder on Evansville’s show. Fire joined St. John for a word. Fire pointed out that he and Flame had been beating the odds for weeks. He then said that they were trying to decide who’s hair they wanted.
Tojo then came in to call Smothers a “sissy champion†before promising that the Ninja would keep the title forever. He also promised to torture Jarrett and, after he beat him, cover him with the Japanese flag.
We came back to see Fire and Flame facing Mike Murphy and William Thompson. Flame and Murphy started the match. Flame took control of Murphy almost immediately and tagged in Fire, who slammed Murphy and dropped a leg before pulling him up. Flame tagged back in and sent Murphy into his own corner, where Thompson tagged in.
Flame attacked Thompson as he entered the ropes and tagged in Fire, who hit a belly to belly suplex on the massive Thompson before bringing Flame back in. Flame hit a knee lift and raked Thompson’s eyes. Fire came in and pulled in Murphy. Fire and Flame were dominating until Jerry Lawler hit the ring with two sacks of flour. Lawler attacked Fire, Flame and Torch with the flour before bailing and returning to the back.
Russell and Brown discussed the mess the studio was in before sending us to commercial.
We returned to see Brown give a rundown of the day’s events. Russell closed the show by promising that Jerry Jarrett would be ready for Tojo when the two met in the ring.
FULL CARD FOR WEDNESDAY NIGHT’S SHOW IN THE EVANSVILLE COLISEUM
Jerry Jarrett vs. Tojo Yamamoto
No Time Limit, No DQ
Masks vs. Hair
Fire and Flame vs. Jerry Lawler/Tommy Rich
International Tag Team titles
Akio Sato/Tarzan Goto vs. Ric McCord/John Paul
Mid-America title
The Ninja © vs. Tracy Smothers
Jeff Jarrett/Pat Tanaka vs. Nikita Molkovich/Man Mountain Link
Jet Star vs. Torch
