CWA TV 4/26/1986

Written by: Bob Colling

CWA TV
Date: 4/26/1986
From: Memphis, TN

Lance Russell and Dave Brown welcome everyone to the program. The main event this week is Jeff Jarrett and Joe LeDuc taking on Abdul Gaddafi and Pat Rose. Russell mentions we will see a version of events presented by Bill Dundee and Buddy Landell.

Opening Contest: AWA International Champion Billy Travis vs. The Masked Patriot: They take each other down to the mat early won with Travis getting the advantage. The focus for the match is Travis working over the arm of Patriot. This has been the case for several weeks and it’s never entertaining. Travis drives Patriot down with a scoop slam before going back to the left arm. Travis punches the Patriot causing the mask to pop off and the Patriot runs away with the mask covering his face. Travis wins by count-out. (1/2*. The focus on the arm wasn’t overly long this week. I’m wondering if they are going to make Travis into a guy who has a mean punch and play up that impact since the mask fell off because of it. I’m not sure if that would work very well.)

Lance Russell interviews Rip Rogers. Rogers says he is a household name everywhere. He has seen a lot of wrestlers concerned with their looks. Rogers thinks Dundee and Landell are too concerned with their looks, too. Rogers believes he is the best looking guy in professional wrestling. He mentions his match with Billy Travis where he tied him up and knows that he can’t get a rematch against Travis. He hasn’t figured Eddie Marlin out yet. He’s looking for a rematch with Billy Travis and to challenge Jerry Lawler for the AWA Southern Heavyweight Championship. He says that wrestling and the whole world are based on politics. He thinks he’ll win the match in a minute and a half.

Second Contest: Rip Rogers vs. Jim Jamison: Rogers goes right after Jamison with a headbutt and drives him into the corner head first. Rogers takes Jamison down to the mat and delivers a scoop slam. Rogers dumps Jamison to the floor through the middle rope and he wants to know where Jerry Lawler is at. Rogers tosses Jamison back into the ring. Rogers chokes Jamison on the mat. I believe the match has gone further than a minute and a half. Rogers gets the submission with a Boston Crab. The match went two minutes and twenty-seconds. (*. Rogers had a better showing than his debut and there’s no doubt the guy has some personality.)

Lance Russell promotes local cards. Tony Falk will be teaming with Bill Dundee and Buddy Landell to take on Jeff Jarrett, Joe LeDuc and Jerry Lawler. Bill Dundee and Buddy Landell enter the scene to be interviewed. Dundee blames Russell for their issues lately. He thinks Lawler is hiding behind LeDuc and he isn’t scaring anyone. Dundee knows that Lawler is afraid of them. Dundee is going to beat Lawler’s brains out. Landell chimes in and says he doesn’t as bad for himself. He credits Dundee for taking Lawler out and says they could have taken Jeff Jarrett out forever, but they aren’t that bad of people.

Lance Russell and Dave Brown introduce a video made by Bill Dundee and Buddy Landell. Dundee and Landell are in the video room talking about how the last time they were there they showed video of Big Red Reese losing. Dundee calls Gaddafi an idiot who can’t take over the world and says that The Barbarian can’t beat them. Dundee says that Lawler isn’t going to wrestle him for thirty days. Dundee took that for being scared. The competition comes down to Tony Falk and Buddy Landell. They have whole situation on tape that Lawler didn’t want to wrestle Landell. Dundee plays the video tape to prove it. Lawler beats on Falk delivering a scoop slam and hits a middle rope fist drop. Dundee says they like Falk and they aren’t selling him short. The match shouldn’t have happened in their mind. Landell chimes in and says that Lawler told Russell he can’t take an extended vacation again if he fought either one of them. They show more footage of Lawler hammering away on Landell and Dundee with LeDuc and Jarrett. Dundee thinks that Lawler has exposed himself as being a coward.

AWA Southern Heavyweight Champion Jerry Lawler makes his way out to be interviewed by Lance Russell. Lawler says that Dundee and Landell told their version of the story. Lawler says that Dundee and Landell had someone edit together the video so that they could tell their story. Lawler says that the Barbarian didn’t show up, which is true. He thought it was a great idea to have the fans pick who he could wrestle. However, he wasn’t going to give Dundee a title match because Dundee made him wait four months. Lawler would wrestle Dundee in a non-title match but Dundee decided to bail on the match. The fans wanted to see Lawler get revenge on Tony Falk. The fans didn’t cheer for Landell in the competition. We see more footage of the Falk/Lawler match. Dundee and Landell came into the ring after the fist drop and attacked Lawler. Landell comes off the middle rope with an axe handle. Dundee stomps on Lawler several times. Buddy knocked the referee down and this led to Falk choking Jeff Jarrett with a belt later on in the night. LeDuc and Jarrett had been wrestling Dundee and Landell. Lawler comes into the ring to save Jarrett and LeDuc from being choked out. Lawler says that Dundee and Landell are no good liars. The truth could be better for them and they’d still lie. Lawler says that Dundee is the worst person to hold the title and he won’t get a title shot. Lawler isn’t afraid of Dundee or Landell and says that Dundee can have him at any time.

Lance Russell promotes some local cards. Paul Diamond takes on Rip Rogers. AWA Southern Tag Team Champions the Mod Squad take on Billy Travis and Phil Hickerson. Dutch Mantell battles Abdul Gaddafi in a bullwhip on a pole match. He also promotes the previously mentioned six man tag match.

Tony Falk and Mod Squad comes out and Falk reveals that Costello’s mother had fallen ill a week and a half ago. She has since passed away. Falk says that Costello has to settle the estate. Falk is going to be in the corner of the Mod Squad for JD.

Third Contest: AWA Southern Tag Team Champions The Mod Squad vs. Frank Morrell & David Haskins: Morrell starts the match and he takes on both Spike and Basher. Morrell decks Spike and tosses him across the ring. Haskins enters the match and connects with a dropkick. His momentum ends quickly and gets worked over by the Mod Squad in the corner. Morrell enters illegally to ram the champions into each other. Morrell punches Falk off the apron but gets pummeled by the Mod Squad. Basher had a chain around his knuckles. Morrell has been busted open as a result. Haskins get in the ring to try and help Morrell but that doesn’t work very well. Falk spikes Haskins with a piledriver and Morrell continues to get beaten up with the chain. Falk delivers another piledriver on Haskins as Morrell is beaten on and is bleeding quite a bit. Finally, Billy Travis, Dutch Mantell, Jeff Jarrett and Joe LeDuc enter the ring to make the save. (*. The angle is nicely done and probably sets a tag match involving Travis and Morrell in the future. It looked like Travis got some blood on his hand and stared at it briefly.)

Lance Russell interviews Tony Falk and Abdul Gaddafi. Falk says that Morrell got exactly what he deserved. He can’t wait to get his hands on Jeff Jarrett. He thinks that Joe LeDuc shouldn’t be allowed to wrestle. Billy Travis enters the scene and attacks Falk with right hands. Gaddafi helps out Falk. Travis gets beaten down by Falk and Gaddafi. Gaddafi holds Travis to allow Falk to beat on Travis. Travis has been busted open as well. Dutch Mantell enters the scene and runs them both off after delivering several right hands. Mantell helps Travis to the backstage area. Russell says that Falk is irritating him quite a bit.

Fourth Contest: Dutch Mantell vs. The Undertaker: The Undertaker is essentially just a masked wrestler, which Memphis loves to use. Mantell tries to remove the mask, but Undertaker is able to bail from the ring. Dutch is obsessed with getting the mask off of the Undertaker, but isn’t able to do so. Undertaker has a glove on his right hand and delivers a few punches but a boot to the chest stops his momentum. Dutch decks Undertaker with another strike and comes out of the corner with an elbow drop for the win. (1/4*. I mean, there wasn’t a whole lot going on here. It was mostly just an attempt mask removal and then the finish.)

Lance Russell promotes some local cards. Jeff Jarrett enters the scene with Jerry Lawler and Joe LeDuc saying it’s a great honor to be in the ring with them. He just wants to hold his own in the ring. Lawler is sick and tired of hearing Dundee say that he is scared. Lawler is always going to be there and wants to start the match with Dundee. LeDuc chimes in and says that they want Jarrett to just take care of Falk and they’ll handle the rest. LeDuc begins to slap himself and wants them to show how much of a man they are.

Main Event: Joe LeDuc & Jeff Jarrett vs. Abdul Gaddafi & Pat Rose: Tony Falk is at ringside with Gaddafi and Rose. This is also an expiration of time match. LeDuc and Rose start off the match with neither man budging on a shoulder block attempt. LeDuc clubs away on Rose in the corner and sends him hard back first into the corner. LeDuc decks Gaddafi to the mat with a right hand. Rose tags in and tries his luck against LeDuc. LeDuc drops Rose with a shoulder block and continues to deliver strikes in the corner. LeDuc connects with a dropkick and tags in Jarrett. Jarrett takes Rose down with a crossbody for a one count. Rose shoulder blocks Jarrett, but Jarrett comes back with an arm drag. Jeff hip tosses Rose and continues with another arm drag. Gaddafi tags in and drops Jarrett with a middle rope strike and a clothesline. Gaddafi chokes Jarrett over the top rope followed by a scoop slam. Gaddafi comes off the ropes to deliver an elbow drop for a one count. Rose enters and continues to beat on Jarrett with strikes. Rose continues to work over Jarrett on the mat. Rose delivers an elbow strike and almost pins Jarrett. Gaddafi scoop slams Jarrett again and goes to the middle rope missing an elbow drop. LeDuc gets tagged in and hammers away on both Gaddafi and Rose. The referee is calling for the bell because Falk got involved hitting Jarrett. After the match, Falk continues to beat on Jarrett with strikes while LeDuc is tangled up in the ropes by Rose and Gaddafi. Falk drives Jarrett’s face into the mat. Jerry Lawler runs into the ring and cleans house to help LeDuc and Jarrett. (*. It is kind of amazing that a guy like Tony Falk, who hasn’t won a match, is involved in a top program with the main event wrestlers. Falk carries himself with promo work, though. Jarrett’s offense was mostly what you’d expect out of someone coming right out of training school. I wonder if something is up with Pat Rose since he didn’t take the fall here. It seems as if they’ve been protecting him on television in recent weeks.)

Final Thoughts:
They’ve really been dragging out the most they can between Lawler and Dundee. It still has some entertainment value, but I think they need to move on sooner rather than later. There has already been numerous stipulation matches between them, too. A fine episode this week, I thought.

Thanks for reading.