Pro Wrestling Love vol. 29: Best of Mid-South Wrestling 1983-1987 (Ric Flair, Ted DiBiase, Butch Reed)

Hey Yo Stud Muffins & Foxy Ladies,

Pro Wrestling Love vol. 29:

The Best of Mid-South Wrestling/Houston Wrestling 1983-1987

Objective:  Break up the Greatest Match Ever Project (hosted at gwe.freeforums.project.net) into more manageable chunks to help me build my Top 100 List for the project.

Motivation: Contribute to the discussion around these matches to enrich my own understanding of pro wrestling and give a fresh perspective for old matches and even hopefully discover great pro wrestling matches that have been hidden by the sands of time.

Subject: This twenty-ninth volume of Pro Wrestling Love is the beginning of the Top 12 countdown of the best matches to take place in Mid-South Wrestling between 1983-1987. The time period is set because this was the peak of the territorial era in regards to footage. Footage before 1983 in regards to American wrestling is a dicey proposition. There are some gaps after 1983, but for the most part from 1983 on we have everything. The countdown ends in 1987 when Jim Crockett buys out the Universal Wrestling Federation from Bill Watts and then ultimately shuts it down at Starrcade 1987. You can revisit past Pro Wrestling Love Volumes at ridingspacemountain.blogspot.com. You can check out the full version of these reviews in ProWrestlingOnly.com by going to the forums and finding the folders associated with the date of the match.

Contact Info: @superstarsleeze on Twitter, Instagram & ProWrestlingOnly.com.

Does this picture scream Mid-South Wrestling or What?

Honorable Mentions

The Fantastics vs The Guerreros – Houston 10/12/84

The Fabulous Ones vs The Guerreros – Houston 1/24/86

The Guerreros were a staple of Paul Boesch’s Houston Wrestling. Houston Wrestling much like St. Louis was a single city territory. For history buffs, think of it as a Free City of the Holy Roman Empire or the District of Columbia is another apt analogy. For this time period, Houston Wrestling would book talent mostly from Bill Watts’ Mid-South territory. Notable exceptions included Jose Lothario and Hector & Chavo Guerrero. Hector & Chavo Guerrero appealed to significant Mexican/Latin community in Houston and showed great versality working as heels against The Fantastics and babyfaces against the Fabulous Ones. Heel Fabulous Ones are a real treat you got to watch Lane & Keirn as heat-seekers. The Fabs vs. Guerreros is my pick for the best Mid-South/Houston Wrestling match of 1986.

Mid-South Tag Team Champions Rock N Roll Express vs Midnight Express - Houston 5/11/84

Mid-South Tag Team Champions Rock N Roll Express vs Midnight Express – 5/23/84

Hacksaw Duggan & Rock N Roll Express vs Ernie Ladd & Midnight Express – 6/8/84

Midnight Express vs Rock N Roll Express – 6/30/85

The Rock N Rolls & Midnights are like Tom & Jerry of pro wrestling. You cant say one name without the other. It all got started in Mid-South. These three matches exemplify their classic take on the Southern Tag style and why they are considered the two greatest tag teams of all time. The Houston 5/11/84 match comes our way from NWA classics and features a hilarious shine built around hair pulling psychology. 

Mid-South Tag Champs Magnum TA & Mr. Wrestling II vs. Midnight Express Houston 1/27/84

Midnight Express vs Bill Watts & Stagger Lee – 4/22/84

Mid-South Tag Team Champions Midnight Express vs Fantastics – 8/9/84
Midnight Express vs Fantastics - Houston 8/31/84

One key difference between the Eaton & Condrey team vs Eaton & Lane team as that Eaton & Condrey team was treated as a main event act. One of my all-time favorite matches from Mid-South was Bill Watts stepping back in the ring with the Junkyard Dog under hood as a Stagger Lee. The MX and Jim Cornette were so red-hot they were programmed with Mid-South two biggest babyface stars. This is classic “Walking Tall” Bill Watts match. I want to include a Midnights vs. Fans match because they were so good together whether it was in Mid-South, World Class or Crockett. The Houston matches come our way thanks to NWA Classics. The first match is a great asskicker from Magnum & Wrestling II and the second Fantastics is a fun Southern style popcorn tag. 

“Hacksaw” Jim Duggan vs Ted DiBiase – Houston Street Fight 7/29/83

Mid-South North American Champion Ted DiBiase vs Hacksaw Jim Duggan – No DQ 3/8/85

Hacksaw Jim Duggan vs Mad Dog Buzz Sawyer – Dog Collar Match 12/27/85

The breakout star for me in watching all this Mid-South footage was “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan. He was not the goofy, American flag waving dope coming out to circus music from my childhood watching Monday Night Nitro. He was an asskicking everyman that reminded me a lot of Bruno Sammartino. Duggan with his Irish last name and lack of Southern accent had a very Northern feel to his character. It was blue collar and urban. To me Duggan represented the answer to a superhero like Hulk Hogan, a Southern folk hero like the American Dream or a pretty boy like Ricky Martel, he could be a new path something very distinct, gritty and realistic. Two of the matches listed here are from the two different DiBiase feuds. The more famous feud is the 1985 one but don’t sleep on the 1983 one either. My other favorite Duggan feud is against the “Mad Dog” Buzz Sawyer and it came to a bloody conclusion in this Dog Collar match.

NWA World Heavyweight Champion Ric Flair vs Terry Taylor – 4/28/85

NWA World Heavyweight Champion Ric Flair vs Wahoo McDaniel – 7/26/85

NWA World Heavyweight Champion Ric Flair vs Ted DiBiase – 11/6/85

NWA World Heavyweight Champion Ric Flair vs Jake “The Snake” Roberts – 11/24/85

Ric Flair was great before 1985, but it was in 1985 that Ric Flair truly put himself head and shoulders above everyone else in the GOAT conversation. I am sure if we had more footage of Flair pre-85 the statement could have been made earlier, but Mid-South is big part of why we got to see so much Flair in 1985. There will be two more Terry Taylor matches that make this countdown. The match against Wahoo is a classic shootout at the OK Corral reminiscent of Flair’d firefights against Ronnie Garvin. I am by no means a Jake The Snake fan but besides his 1986 work against Ricky Steamboat this is his best match. The match against DiBiase is up there with Lawler vs Flair 1982 and Lawler vs Dundee 1985 as the greatest TV angle of all time and just misses the cut of making the top 12.

Ted DiBiase vs. Dick Murdoch – 12/31/85

This is the conclusion of that great TV angle as you see Cap’n Redneck Dicky Murdoch was pretty pissed that DiBiase was getting the title match against Flair instead of him. Murdoch pulverized DiBiase turning DiBiase babyface in the process. DiBiase wrestled the match against Flair with a massive bandage around his head from the beating from Murdoch and thus DiBiase ultimately came up short as Murdoch brainbustered him on the concrete. Now DiBiase was out for blood against Cap’n Redneck. This is match is a great brawl and I love the finish. DiBiase might be the fan favorite but he is not totally reformed and he blasts Murdoch with the trademark loaded glove to get the win and some sweet, sweet revenge.

#12. UWF Western States Heritage Champion Barry Windham vs Dick Murdoch – 7/11/87

Crockett has already purchased the UWF at this point and this was during brief run where they tried to keep it as a separate entity sending over Windham to anchor the babyface side. I think they missed a big opportunity of having Windham in the Garvin slot. I love the Flair/Garvin series especially 87 and am a Garvin fan, but they could have really built to the future with a Windham victory there. I have seen this match a bunch of times and loved it. I saved it for last because I thought it had a legitimate shot as the best Mid-South match. To my surprise, I don't even have this in my top 5. There has been that much great shit in Mid-South. That's not indictment on this match, which is still fantastic just goes to show you how stacked Mid-South was.

If you like punching, this match is for you. I think that's strength of this match and why it finished so high in the original poll. Flair matches can be polarizing. A good punch is a great unifier of all wrestling fans. These two are the best punchers in the business and so this match had that in spades. The first fifteen minutes are characterized by dueling arm work. Murdoch is the God King of arm work even moreso than the Andersons. He just tortures his opponent and he has so many holds at his disposal. On the flip side, he is so good at selling arm work with his face and his body. My complaint is that it was a little too easy for them to get in and out of arm holds here. I liked how Murdoch set up his arm holds with elbows to the face and yanking the arm against the apron and other nasty ways. Whereas Windham used speed and movement to set up his like a dropkick or a crossbody. The match picks up half way through when Murdoch backs him into the corner and pops him one. Watch Windham sell this. Perfect. Just simple perfection. Really gets this over as a big turning point in the match. Windham hits a spinning neckbreaker to even the playing field. Murdoch sells this a bit over the top, but I love over the top. I really enjoyed it and you all need to watch it. Windham has such a beautiful punch and he is looking to get his receipt. Murdoch ends up on the outside and Windham hits the atomic drop that sends him into the post. Murdoch rakes the eyes, but on the suplex back into the ring Windham falls on top. I love from his knees Murdoch pops Windhams in the face with a punch. Great shit! The slugfests that ensue should be legendary. They are just going blow for blow with incredible selling on each punch. They are holding each other up and punching each other. Murdoch's missed windmill punches is the classic spot I always remember (that and Terry Taylor dubbing himself Vero's Hero on commentary) with Windham cleaning his clock after that bit of fun . Murdoch tries to get up on the top rope, but he looks like a beached whale, lol. Windham press slams him off and figure-4 time. You can say Flair forced him to do that spot now! 

The finish stretch is Hot Stuff (Murdoch's manager) distracting the ref and Murdoch busting Windham open with the mic whilst in the figure-4. Murdoch tries to put Windham away, but Windham keeps attacking the leg all the while the time limit is about to expire. Belt shot by Murdoch! Kneecrusher by Windham! Spinning Toehold and Figure-4! He makes it to the ropes. BRAINBUSTAH~! But Gilbert has the ref distracted as the time limit expires. Well that is just poor managing right there.

The middle portion of this is simply awesome. Great punches and selling. Exactly what you want from these two. Thought the beginning (too easy to get in and out of arm holds) and finish (shoehorning the leg stuff and manager stuff. It felt like a detour from something that was awesome to something I have seen before) just weren't there with the rest of the match. I wish we had every Dick Murdoch match ever. He is fucking incredible.

#11. Chavo Guerrero vs Mr. Olympia – Houston 6/24/83

Mid-South Match of the Year, 1983

Chavo Classic had all the tools on offense. He shows off his ability to fly (dropkicks, plancha), submissions (upside down surfboard and a lucha submission), hot strikes and suplexes (German). He is ripshit because Olympia/Akbar put him on the shelf for two months. He starts off hot with punches and three dropkicks to send Olympia to outside. This is match of levels and is incredibly well-executed. Olympia never really fully takes control, but slowly earns his heat segment. He takes advantage of each mistake by breaking Chavo's momentum with a trip to outside or sapping his energy with a chinlock. In fact most of Olympia's offense in this is a chinlock. Normally, I would dislike that but it makes logical sense because how hot Chavo is and the need to cool him off to set up your own moves, We see that each chinlock takes more of its toll at first Chavo is able to resume control, but it as the match wears on Olympia's offense is more sustained. Olympia's first major opening is when Chavo was yanking him by the mask into the turnbuckles and on the third one he sent Chavo in hard into the turnbuckles. He followed up with his first big offense of the match a kneedrop and backbreaker neither negotiated the fall. Now instead of going back to the chinlock, he Irish Whips Chavo this is dumb because Chavo feeds off movement this allows Chavo to hit a crossbody, yank him out by the mask and then a plancha. This was perfect face wrestling and plays right into the movement vs power story. Chavo loses it in the corner with strikes and when the ref pulls him off Olympia loads the boot and dropkicks him to the floor. Olympia cant get the win again so it is back to the sleeper. They tease the three arm drops and Chavo powers up to a big pop and drives Olympia into the corner. Olympia misses the top rope elbow. Big rush by Chavo ends in a German suplex for the win! He wants to take the mask off so he gives him another. Almost gets the mask and here is Akbar and now DiBiase. Hell beatdown commences until the save,

I loved Chavo's fire in this and commitment to always fighting back. He played the perfect vengeful face. He did a great job mixing up his stuff. Olympia gave a a really simple, but effective performance. I didnt mention this but he was great bumping for Chavo. Match of Olympia/Stubbs career and maybe the best Chavo match on tape.

#10. Terry Taylor vs Chris Adams – 5/3/87

UWF Match of the Year, 1987

Vero's Hero puts in one of the best performances of his career as the entire match is one long, simmering heel turn. I noticed something was up almost immediately when did not shake the Gentleman's hand. Also, Taylor did a great job early on showing how insecure he felt. He would try something and nothing would stick. While Adams was always one step ahead of Taylor, whether it was taking him over with a headlock or double wristlock or powering him down off a leapfrog sequence. We saw Taylor try to pick up the tempo, slow it down by going into ropes or the outside or counterwrestling, but at each step Adams was a head of Taylor. I thought the way Taylor sold was much more like a heel would where he looked like he was being wimp whereas a face would fight through the pain. You could really feel the insecurity in Taylor's mind and that insecurity led him to start taking shortcuts. Like a kneelift to the Gentleman when he gave him a clean break or a closed fist. The closed fist started sending off the alarm bells in JR's & TA's heads especially as the ref confronts Terry Taylor. It is clear that Taylor favorite heel was Ric Flair, who he worked with closely in 1985. There were a lot of moments in this where Taylor looked like Flair, but not moreso than late in the match by the way he begged off. As good as Taylor was at slowly ramping up his heelishness, I thought Adams wrestled as the consummate babyface. His scientific wrestling was both exciting as it was pure. I loved his hope spots being pinning combinations. This was nowhere near Flair/Steamboat, but in a lot of ways it felt like that. By Adams wrestling so pure, it really highlighted Taylor's heelishness. Taylor bumrushed him with a headbutt into the midsection and finally Adams realizes that Taylor is being a prick and he headbutted Taylor into the midsection and here comes the heavy blows like punches and clotheslines. I love how Adams is now throwing it back in Taylor's face. Adams collides with the ref on a criss cross sequence. In the previous Adams/Taylor matches they have helped each other into the ring. This time TERRY TAYLOR PILEDROVE ADAMS ON THE CONCRETE! As a nice touch, Taylor plays dead and the ref counts both men down. Of course, Taylor is able to get back up and win by the countout. At the beginning of the match, Terry Taylor was cheered and by the end he is resoundingly booed. Taylor cements his heel turn in his post-match promo. I loved the story this told of Taylor's insecurities leading to him joining the dark side. I don't know if you could do a heel turn just based on how someone's tactics changed in a match. I loved the simplicity of the times. Taylor and Adams both delivered excellent performances.

#9. North American Heavyweight Champion Magnum TA vs Ted DiBiase – Tulsa 5/27/84

Mid-South Match of the Year, 1984

I have to say I was a bit skeptical that on the exact same day albeit different arena they would be able to even match the awesomeness of the earlier OKC match, but boy was I wrong. Not only did they match it, they topped it with an even better blood-soaked brawl. The first match was a great bloody sprint, but this was a dramatic spectacle. They played to Magnum's greatest strength, his selling and it just ensnared you and never let you go. I got to say, I loved the beginning of this, where DiBiase went to pearl harbor Mags, but Magnum was wise to his games and beat him to the punch. Since they were working a different arena, I did not expect them to actually learn from match to match. So I was very impressed. Did they show these matches on TV and thus they needed to show inter-match progression?

The early portion of the match is all Magnum, but DiBiase is making him earn it. The match really busts open (pun fully intended) when DiBiase sends Magnum crashing to the floor reopening the cut. DiBiase working the cut on the floor with Magnum's screams of agony and the fans enraged was a perfect confluence of pro wrestling. DiBiase clawing at the cut and Magnum just making you believe this is most painful thing is the difference between the last match being great and this being a classic. In the ring, Ted is on point it is all fist and elbow drops to the head. Magnum is peppering in hope spots, but can string anything together as Ted stymies him immediately. DiBiase applies the sleeper and just when it looks like we will have a new champion, Magnum in a last ditch effort sends DiBiase flying over the ropes. DiBiase tries to rebound with a piledriver, but Mags back drops out of it. He pulls himself by the ropes. I love it, Ted is modulating the strength of his punches with them getting progressively weaker as he is more exhausted! Magnum is coming alive! He sees the blood. Run Ted Run! The collide in the center of the ring. I have this to be a way more common spot in the 80s than in anytime since and it was definitely a clue the finish is coming. DiBiase wants to get this over with and loads the glove. Wild swing and Mags hits the atomic drop and Ted bounces off the ropes into a Belly 2 Belly! I loved that setup for the Belly 2 Belly. Best Mid-South match yet and just everything you want from bloody brawl. Ted was vicious during the heat segment and backpedaling on Magnum's offense. Magnum is a really, really good seller and knows how to connect with audience during a comeback.

#8. Butch Reed vs Buzz Sawyer – Dog Collar Match 12/31/85

Think about the roster Mid-South had at this time on the heel side you had Dick Slater, Dick Murdoch and Buzz Sawyer, which is pretty great. Then get a load of the babyface side: Hacksaw Jim Duggan, Ted DiBiase, Butch Reed and Jake Roberts. That is bonkers deep. Reed is looking for revenge on Sawyer. Sawyer wants a Dog Collar match and Reed is like you are playing right into my hand, sucka. Reed gets his No DQ match. I watched this six months ago and thought it was every bit as good as the Duggan Dog Collar match and still think so. It is just violence and hatred personified. I really like how such small mistakes can have such devastating consequences in a match like this. For instance, by missing one punch at the beginning, Sawyer gets his ass beat for the next five minutes and is bleeding like a stuck pig. Reed is great at hollering and really playing up how he much he enjoy beating Sawyer up. I loved the chain pressed against the cut. The same thing applied to Reed when he missed a fist drop now Sawyer could take over on him and really do a number on him and bust him open. It was a total war of attrition. I loved that Dog Bark Sawyer did. One of his chain whips sounded brutal on Reed's head. It was scary and crazy. Both men are exhausted and Reed bowls him over, but cant stand himself. Sawyer and rips off his Dog Collar and ties Reed to the bottom rope. Reed comes out of his funk and realizes his plight, but it is too late the Mad Dog sneak attacks. Then in one of the most brutal finishes of all time Sawyer goes to bulldog Reed, but because he is tied to the bottom rope he is yanked back violently to the ground. OUCH! 1-2-3, Buzz Sawyer wins. Slater and Sawyer look to double team Reed, but Duggan saves only to be clothesline brutally by the chain right before his North American heavyweight title match with Dicky Slater.

Awesome, awesome violent spectacle. Sawyer was totally out of control and Reed was awesome as the avenging babyface. What an insane finish! Easy top 10 Mid-South match of all time.

#7. NWA World Heavyweight Champion Ric Flair vs Terry Taylor – Houston 5/3/85  

Fantastic match! I love how this is the more fleshed out version of the 4/28 match, just with 10 extra minutes & some better Flair spot calling they take a great match and make it a total classic. I really like Flair for his high-energy take on wrestling that is not to say go-go-go or working too fast, but everything is energetic. This may be his best low-energy performance. Now low-energy Flair is pretty much everyone else's normal energy level. This match was a great example of Flair gradualism.

The shine was better than the previous match because there was a little more struggle, Flair got in some more control and Flair argued with the ref. All these things made the shine seem more consequential. Again, Flair did not get over as a bumping machine, but rather established himself as good, but then Taylor started to get the better of him. Flair does the handshake and goes for amateur takedowns, but this does not lead to the heat instead they work a great headlock sequence with Flair trying everything he can to get out of it so Taylor has to struggle to keep it on. Flair is getting pissed starts throwing hiptosses, but he gets blocked after a couple. He starts shoving Taylor, but Taylor will NOT be intimidated! Flair crowds in the corner and looks like he is ready to take over. PSYCH! Taylor comes roaring back with punches. However, the ref tries to stop the punching and Flair gets a knee to family jewels of Vero's Hero. Now, finally Flair finally takes over. Flair had to do so much to get to the heat segment and Taylor looked world class by overcoming him at every turn. Really great extended shine even if it was not a typical one.

Flair throws Taylor around with a butterfly suplex and blasts him with chops. Taylor was really good at selling. Again, Flair shows how great he is working the arm and Taylor meets him with an inspired selling performance. Even on a shouldertackle with the bad arm, Taylor sells his bad arm. Taylor starts firing away with punches as Flair tries to grab the hair. Again, Flair shows a great sense of gradualism. Taylor has to overcome a Flair sleeper and an attempted Flair piledriver before Taylor finally gets his own sleeper. It is not one move, but a collection of spots that transitions you to full control. I love that! Throughout the finish stretch, you feel like most men are spent. Flair loves the cheapshots low to the abdomen while Taylor is selling his ass off and trying for whatever hope spot he can like all the Flair staples: sunset flip, bridge into backslide, slam him off the top rope. Flair loves the ropes in Houston. Saves him on the sleeper and a suplex. Is there anyone better at selling discombobulated down a finish run than Flair. They knock heads with Flair falling on top. Taylor gets his feet on ropes, but Flair pulls them off to win the match!

I feel like this is exemplary in the how they gradually they build throughout the match. Nothing is abrupt. Everything is earned by attrition and effort. To me this match is representative of the greatness of Flair spot calling because of his ability to layer a match with his spots that is meaningful in every way. Also throughout the match (it is documented in the matches with the Von Erichs) he is constantly struggling and making the babyfaces earn their controls. It is not a typical high energy, bump-a-thon by Flair until late in the game so it makes it different enough for diehard Flair fans like myself to see something unique. Love this match!