Tv Reviews 1/18/86

Memphis TV 1/18/86 After Lance and Dave do the standard intro Bill Dundee comes to the desk and says he's sick of Russell awful commentary on his matches. So, instead he and Buddy Landell and Dutch Mantell went to Dundee's private screening room inside his home and laid down their own commentary track of his bout in Memphis with "Big Red" Reese! A genius unique funny super heel cocky way to get over! Mystery Science Theater 3000 for wrestling! The made fun of Reese's ring attire(he wore a green jumpsuit) Dundee said he couldn't tell if he was wrestling a whale or Kermit the Frog! The three men couldn't for the life of them think of "That guy who was here who used to wear that dumb crown" Landell said it was very hard being a sex symbol, at one point,  I believe, Dutch was eating a sandwich!
     The match ended when Mantell threw Dundee a chain(or as I call it a Memphis headlock because I think every guy brought one to the ring) he nails Reese and gets the win! When they come back to the desk Dundee says this is his show now and throws it to break(Lance looks bemused and dumbfounded)! That was one segment folks!
     They promoted "A Date With the Fantastics" Essay contest, Landell interrupted and said That he didn't want the fantastics trying to take his women. He announced his own contest send him an 8x10 glossy and he would pick multiple winners himself! They will also receive a poster of Landell to hang over their beds so they have something to live for every morning! No great in-ring stuff to speak of really All squash bouts!
     Mid-south wrestling 1/18/86 Lot of action on this program. It kicked of with a recap of Dick Slater beating Butch Reed on last week on TV to win the North American Heavyweight title.(If Reed had won Dark Journey was to be Reed's valet for 30 days). Slater won by hitting Reed with Journey's boot in the head. Slater did a in-ring interview where he stated that just because he was the North American champ now it was not going to stop him from winning  his TV Title tourney final vs Jake Roberts. Giving him both of them.
      Roberts became the new TV champ by hitting a DDT to counter a suplex. He got a medal not a belt, odd to me, but hey, it works. "Mad Dog" Buzz Sawyer was up next after he won his bout he was beating up the poor guy. Who comes to make the save?.....Butch Reed! They have a brief stare down bought to an end when Dick Murdoch attacks Reed from behind. Murdock throws reed outside and gives him his patented "BrainBuster" on the floor! The announcers Joel "how did I get this job?.......oh yeah that's how" Watts, and Jim Ross acted like Reed had been killed on national television. Was it a bit much?....maybe but it got that angle over huge!
     Terry Taylor beat Lord Humungous with a top rope forearm(Let me see if I understand this right? you cant hurt Humongous by punching him due to his head gear, but a forearm off the ropes to the mask causes him to be pinned! HUH???) Eddie Gilbert  won a match. Ricky Gibson Bret Sawyer and Al Perez won a six man. Ted Dibiase won a squash too, but was attacked by Murdoch from behind(he was a busy heel today). Masked Superstar joined the battle. "Doctor Death" Steve Williams came to help his Mid-south tag team championship partner in Dibiase! During the brawl the break away from a fight to so us a "Fabulous Ones" music video and that's how the show ends. All that in 46 minutes!
     NWA Worldwide Wrestling 1/18/86 Easy review not a damn thing of any real import happened! The Russians were mad that the Road Warriors because they helped Sam Houston win the Mid-Atlantic title over their running buddy. Paul Jones announced his man the Barbarian's 10 thousand dollar test of strength challenge! Squash bouts won by Pez Whatley, Jimmy Valiant, Tully Blanchard, Ron Bass/Don Kernodle and The Midnight Express(Bobby Eaton hit a kneedrop off the top rope as hard as I've seen!) The RNR came out post match to brawl with the Midnight as the show went off the air!
     NWA TBS 605 Saturday show 1/18/86 The big angle coming out of this show a Ronnie Gavin/Ric Flair brawl. Where Gavin knocks Flair "out" and sits on him giving the visual of pinning the World Champion. This was to build up the "Superstars on the Superstation" Special on Feb 7th 1986! A work it was just a taped card from the Omni)!My thanks to Dave Meltzer for answering my question via twitter!The segment started by Garvin coming out and the re-airing of a bout from 12/23/85(a damn fine bout by the way stiff shots a plenty!) Flair runs out sucker punches Garvin, Throws him in the ring beats him up suplexes him and sits on him(mocking the way "Hands of Stone" liked to pin his fallen opponents!) Flair climbs out of the ring and saunters over to brag to announcer David Crockett. Garvin Wakes up and comes over and tackles Flair (Legit knocking him into Crockett and busting or breaking his nose! Ronnie fires Flair in the ring and beats him from pillar to post. Until Blanchard and Anderson come out to make it 3-on1.Just as Flair is about to nail a held Garvin with his shoe out run Dusty, Magnum TA and Sam Houston! Flair whacks Houston in the head with the shoe! But, while he is distracted Gavin escapes from the clutches of Double A and Tully, thanks to Big Dust and Magnum, and punches flair in the head knocking him "Out"! Garvin brags about whopping the champ while Flair's limp body is carried from the ring by him comrades! A damn terrific segment/angle(and one I remembered every beat of it these 31 years later!!!