Memphis Wrestling
April 5, 1980
Memphis, TN
WMC-5 TV Studio

The current Memphis wrestling champions are as follows:
AWA World Champion: Nick Bockwinkel (11/8/1975)
CWA World Champion: Vacant (2/16/1980)
AWA Southern Heavyweight Champion: Paul Ellering (3/27/1980)
AWA Southern Tag Team Champions: Vacant (3/29/1980)

Your hosts are Lance Russell and Dave Brown.

We start the show with Jimmy Hart turning in the AWA southern tag titles. Since Paul Ellering became AWA southern heavyweight champion, Russell says the AWA won’t allow him to hold onto both titles. Sucks for Sheik Ali Hassan. Jimmy pitches a fit about it and gets smart-mouthed with Russell, but there’s nothing Jimmy can do about it. Hart introduces a new tag team partner for Hassan and it’s Sonny (the) King! Russell says there will be a tournament all over the southeast to crown new tag champs in the coming weeks. Since I only have access to the Louisville feed, this tape is a week behind and a “tournament” actually already began back on March 30 in the Mid-South Coliseum. Billy Robinson will team with Ken Lucas to face Dennis Condrey and David Schultz in the MSC on Monday night to decide the new tag champs.

• Sonny King & Sheik Ali Hassan (w/Jimmy Hart) vs. Pat Hutchinson & Aaron Holt
  

Total heel squash and it had to be to get these guys over as a tough team that will go into the MSC as top contenders. Lots of choking and headbutting and general abuse of Hutchinson and Holt. Not sure that Holt doesn’t get hurt here because Hassan punches him and they go straight into a pinfall at 3:45.

Time for our first Louisville Gardens promo. Sgt. Danny Davis is standing by with his Blonde Bombers Larry Latham and Wayne Ferris. Davis threatens the Gibson brothers for putting their hands on him. Ferris calls them crazy for attacking Davis with a tire iron. I’d say that’s fair. I wouldn’t mind seeing that match.

We get some footage of another concession stand brawl in Tupelo between the Gibson brothers and the Blonde Bombers. Looks like the Gibsons are a bloody mess before they even make it to the concession stand. Robert is handcuffed to the ropes while the Bombers double-team Ricky. It’s interesting that RICKY MORTON comes to help the Gibsons, but Danny Davis keeps him at bay. Jimmy Valiant, Ken Lucas, and a few others finally force the Bombers back to the locker room. WILD, crazy stuff. Ricky Gibson’s bloody face is quite high on the Muta Scale there.

Back to the studio, Robert Gibson stops by to give us an update on the health of his brother. Robert says he’s in bad shape and this has gone too far now between them and the Blonde Bombers. Speak of the devils, they confront Robert telling him that he needs to be a man and say whatever he has got to say to their faces and not to the TV camera. Of course this goes south real quick. Ferris calls Gibson a coward and the Bombers and Davis all jump him. NOW CUT THAT OUT GUYS! Latham cracks the Sarge’s helmet on the back of Robert’s head. Well, finally Superstar Bill Dundee and Rick Morton run off those jerks. Oh yeah, and Steve Regal. They literally carry Gibson backstage and Russell needs a break after that assault.

When we return, Lance Russell welcomes the new AWA southern heavyweight champion Paul Ellering. He comes out wearing the Jackie Fargo tuxedo with his manager Jimmy Hart. Russell says Ellering won the strap in JACKSON, TENNESSEE — not in the Mid-South Coliseum. The only place I’ve seen with Memphis title histories that had it right was CAGEMATCH.net. Great site, btw. Anywho, Ellering cuts a great promo talking about how the time of him being overlooked and treated like a decent rookie in Memphis is over. He is the MASTER of DISASTER. He beat Jimmy Valiant — and it was easy. HA! This is awesome. He continues to say that the worst thing a kid can do is look up to Valiant. Instead, they should look up to Ellering because he’s a true champion. Ellering says he’s giving Valiant only one shot to regain the title and that’s on the Sunday show in the Mid-South Coliseum on March 30. Really strong promo there. No one can say Ellering isn’t a good talker.

From there, we go to the Jackson Coliseum to see the finish of the Paul Ellering title victory. Valiant is bleeding like crazy. Ellering hits a Backlund atomic drop, but misses a flying splash. Valiant makes one more fiery comeback. Naturally, there’s a ref bump on Paul Morton. Jimmy Hart rings the bell while Valiant covers Ellering and Valiant thinks he’s won the match. When he stands up to celebrate, he turns back around into a cane shot. Hart helps Morton back into the ring and he counts the pinfall. We crown a NEW champ in 15:26.

• Paul Ellering (w/Jimmy Hart) vs. Dennis Upton
  

Ellering destroys Upton and takes his time beating up this poor kid. He gives him THREE slams. And after that, Ellering gives him an airplane spin and drops him down into a gutbuster. He still doesn’t want the pin. There’s a running powerslam and Ellering finally shows this guy some mercy at 2:40.

Another Louisville Gardens promo. No interviews this time though.

• “Dr. D” Dave Schultz & Dennis Condrey vs. Steve Regal & Jerry Bryant
  

Now Schultz and Condrey is a team I can get into VERY easily. Bryant shows up Schultz and Condrey to start with armdrags. Regal gets a tag and looks good as well. HIPTOSSES EVERYWHERE~! Condrey finally gets away from an armbar and hammerlock slams Bryant down. Tag to Schultz, he drops some knees on Bryant and follows up with another hammerlock slam working the shoulder. Condrey gives Bryant a running powerslam and draws in Regal. That allows the ref to mess with Regal. Meanwhile, Schultz does this awesome move where he hammerlocks Bryant’s arm with his foot and Condrey takes Schultz over with a crossbody block. Looks very painful and a very Midnight Express-type finish. Anyways, Bryant is done and Condrey gets the pinfall in 4:48. Schultz and Condrey are LOOKING GOOD and got the next run with the AWA southern tag belts. Since I don’t have any 1980 Memphis footage until we get to July, I don’t think it matters if I give you a spoiler.

• Wayne Ferris & Larry Latham (w/Sgt. Danny Davis) vs. Superstar Bill Dundee & Rick Morton
  

Another pair of teams who will be in the Mid-South Coliseum on Sunday to find the new AWA southern tag champs. Morton and Latham go through their headlocks and shoulderblocks routine to start. More of the same from Dundee and Ferris. The Memphis crowd is chanting something that I wish I could catch, but I can’t. Dundee misses a crossbody out of the corner and that turns the tide for the Bombers. They continue to beat on Morton and Dundee until RICKY GIBSON has enough and runs them off. He’s armed with a tire iron and NAILS Davis on the helmet! HOLY CRAP that was awesome. Dundee and Morton pull Gibson off Danny Davis before he murderlizes the guy. Once they all clear out, Ferris comes over and tells Russell that they will be suing Ricky Gibson for his actions here today. How about first pressing charges?! Good grief.

One more Louisville Gardens promo. Jimmy Valiant gets another shot at the AWA southern heavyweight title. He comes over wearing an eye patch. He’s real low key because he’s SERIOUS. It’s not boogie time right now. No need to talk, just actions. No record will be playing at the arena because this is strictly business. Valiant can see out of that covered up eye, but he wants to psyche out Ellering and psyche himself up for this match. Valiant will beat Ellering to death and when he leaves the ring with the belt, there will be music. It will be PARTY TIME! WOO DADDY!

Real fun episode of Memphis wrestling here. You’ll want to check this out.