Memphis Wrestling
June 2, 1979
Memphis, TN
WMC-TV Studios

The current Memphis wrestling champions are as follows:
AWA World Champion: Nick Bockwinkel (11/8/1975)
AWA Southern Heavyweight Champion: Mongolian Stomper (4/16/1979)
AWA Southern Tag Team Champions: Toru Tanaka & Mr. Fuji (5/14/1979)

Your hosts are Lance Russell and Dave Brown. Just a partial episode for this week.

• Tommy Gilbert vs. Larry Latham – (Mid-South Coliseum, 5/28/79)
  

We are JIP for this one about ten minutes in, says Russell. Not sure of the exact date that Larry Latham and Wayne Farris start teaming as the Blond Bombers, but it should be REALLY close around this time. Russell does mention that this is Larry Latham’s first appearance in the Mid-South Coliseum. WWF fans of the 1980s will recognize Larry Latham as Moondog Spot. They play off armbars and wristlocks for the first ten minutes here. Latham then goes low and starts heeling it up with stomps and general nastiness. Gilbert fires back on him, but just a LITTLE BIT OF A COMEBACK. Latham delivers a jumping clothesline, but lifts Gilbert off the mat during the pin attempt. Oh, big mistake, pal. A shoulderbreaker gets two only because Gilbert is lifted off the mat again. He misses a jumping clothesline this time, so Gilbert blindsides him with a Mr. Wrestling II knee lift for the pinfall – because babyfaces go for pins, bro. (13:02 shown) Kinda boring up until those final three minutes. *½

• Superstar Bill Dundee vs. Dick Slater – (Mid-South Coliseum, 5/28/79)
  

Man, I love me some Dick Slater. JIP to Slater delivering an atomic drop on Dundee for two. He’s so Terry Funk here. Just check out his punches. Holy crap. Dundee ducks a right hand and gives Slater the receipt for that atomic drop. After that brief comeback, Slater tales back control and locks in a sleeperhold. Dundee makes the ropes, but then surprises Slater with an inside cradle for two. After some turnbuckle smashes, Slater takes a Ray Stevens style corner bump to the apron and the ref considers a DQ for going over the top rope. That’s when Slater sneaks in and jumps him from behind, causing Dundee to fall backwards? Haha. Slater takes forever coming off the middle rope and misses the dive. Dundee looks for an O’Connor roll, but Slater grabs the tights and reverses the pin to score the cheap three-count. (4:00 shown) Oh yeah, Slater is the man. A near twenty minute bout according to Russell, so there’s not enough here for me to rate. Way more fun than the last match though.

• Dick Slater vs. Robert Fuller – (Mid-South Coliseum, 5/28/79)
  

All the action seen so far is from a tournament where the winner gets a free van. Yes, a VAN. I’m picturing a Dodge Santana like Uncle Rico drove around in Napoleon Dynamite. Robert Fuller and Lance Russell provide extra commentary from the studio. Slater wants to make this a chain match because he’s such a VIOLENT man. When Fuller obliges him, Slater instead starts beating him senseless and bloody with the chain wrapped around his fist. This one is a mess. Ref gets knocked down and out comes Superstar Bill Dundee to get a little revenge on Slater. He grabs the other end of the chain wrapped around Slater and jerks him into the ropes. Fuller comes up from behind and O’Connor rolls Slater for the fast count and pinfall. (2:26) And immediately after this, Fuller moves onto the finals to meet the Mongolian Stomper.

• Van Tournament Finals: Robert Fuller vs. The Mongolian Stomper (w/Gorgeous George Jr.) – (Mid-South Coliseum, 5/28/79)
  

This feels like a MITB cash-in as Stomper looks fresh and ready to feast on this guy. Fuller manages to get in a few licks, but this is all Stomper otherwise. Then out of nowhere, he applies the desperation small package for the pinfall and wins the VAN. (2:08) So Fuller just pinned the Southern heavyweight champ as well. He gets a title match with the Stomper this coming Monday night. Fuller will either have to win the championship, or he must leave Memphis.

We will be back in the studio for the following week’s show. Jerry Lawler and Bill Dundee will be in action. The Blond Bombers will be there as well. Plus, you’ll see Eddie Gilbert as a rookie! Oh yeah, and a guy named Rick Oliver gets some airtime.