CWA TV 11/8/1986

Written by: Bob Colling

CWA TV
Date: 11/8/1986
From: Memphis, TN

Dave Brown and Ron Olsen are on commentary for the program. Lance Russell is on vacation this week, but will return next week. Olsen has always wanted to at the commentary table and lets us know who will be on the program.

Opening Contest: AWA Southern Heavyweight Champion Jerry Lawler vs. Bubba Monroe: Monroe didn’t get an entrance and is already being presented as an enhancement guy. Lawler boots Monroe and comes off the middle rope with a fist drop to win the match in under thirty-seconds.

Second Contest: AWA International Champion Big Bubba vs. Jerry Garmen & Benny Trailer in a handicap match: Bubba is also holding the Mid-American Championship, which Dave Brown has noted on commentary. Garmen and Trailer try to beat on Bubba, but that’s not going to work very well, Bubba clotheslines both men tosses them to the mat. Bubba scoop slams Trailer and press slams Garmen onto his partner leading to the win in under two minutes.

Dave Brown interviews Eddie Marlin and they talk about dream matches on a dream card. Marlin says they did this a few years ago and the fans really liked it. Marlin went around and asked wrestlers what their top matches would be. Some wrestlers will be wrestling more than once and Marlin mentions that some of them were weird dreams.

Randy Hales promotes the Evansville show taking place on Wednesday. It will have six dream matches and features many top CWA wrestlers. Sheepherders will take on Billy Travis and Tommy Rich. Boyd enters the scene and cuts a promo saying that fans will see what they did to Travis and says that Big Foot is tougher than his other cousin. Boyd says they will cause injuries to Travis and Rich when they square off in the ring.

Dave Brown talks some more about the dream matches and we have comments from Jerry Jarrett. Jarrett says that Tojo Yamamoto’s dream match is a kendo stick on a pole match with his lumberjacks at ringside. Jarrett thinks that means that Tojo doesn’t think he has a chance against Jerry one on one. Jerry’s dream match is a boxing match with Tojo. Back to the arena, Brown is with Tojo, Goto and Sato. Tojo insists he’d never say the Pledge of Allegiance. Tojo describes his dream match, which Jerry just did.

Ron Olsen talks with Jeff Jarrett at ringside for his dream match. Jeff wants the tag titles and wants Tojo in a cage outside the ring. Eddie Marlin will be one of the referees for the match. His tag partner will be Paul Diamond. Tojo and his men don’t think that Diamond will be coming back. Goto wants to get Eddie Marlin in the ring and have a handicap match where the loser gets their hair shaved.

Dirty Rhodes comes out to talk about his dream match. Rhodes doesn’t want any special stipulation but a bullrope match with Jerry Lawler. He’d like to have Don Bass as the referee for the match. Jerry Lawler comes out and has his own dream match. Lawler wants a shot at the AWA Southern Tag Team Championships in a no disqualification match. He is going to have a special partner and that is Big Bubba! Bubba makes his way out and wants the fans to know why he’s out here. He’s become a belt collector upon hid arrival. This is simply a business agreement. Bubba will get a shot at Lawler’s AWA Southern Heavyweight Championship. Lawler will be giving Bubba title shot in thirty-days. Dirty Rhodes says that without him Bubba wouldn’t have any belts.

Third Contest: Dirty Rhodes, Don Bass, Akio Sato & Tarzan Goto vs. Excitement Inc. (Ric McCord & John Paul), David Haskins & Jim Jamison: Paul and Bass started the match but Bass tagged out quickly. Paul dropkicks Rhodes and Goto tries his luck with McCord. McCord backdrops Goto and keeps him on the mat until Haskins gets tagged in. Jamison gets a few shots in on Goto, but that doesn’t last long. Rhodes backdrops Jamison and delivers a scoop slam followed by a knee drop. Bass enters to backdrop Jamison. Tojo hits Jamison with a kendo stick on the floor while the referee was distracted. Bass clotheslines Jamison to win the match. (1/4*. Well, that was just a way for the heels to get some more momentum, apparently.)

Randy Hales promotes some upcoming local cards coming up.

Dave Brown talks to the Sheepherders, which is Jonathon Boyd and Big Foot. They are here to beat in the brains of the yankees. They are here to rip lips off. Boyd does some poetry and says that anyone who signs on the dotted line they will beat them up.

Fourth Contest: The Sheepherders (Jonathan Boyd & Big Foot) vs. Randy & Robert Bryant: Well, Boyd starts of hammering away on Robert and Foot enters the match delivering a leg drop. Foot continues with a jumping clothesline and a middle rope diving headbutt. Boyd gets back into the match delivering more strikes. Randy gets tagged in and he works over Boyd despite Boyd still having a front facelock on Robert. Foot dropkicks Randy and they knock Randy down with a double forearm strike for the win. After the match, Boyd bites Randy for a few moments. (1/4*. I’m thinking that if these guys are given a hardcore match that they’d excel very well in that role.)

A few wrestlers involved in the battle royal all say that they either would love the $5,000 or they’d try their best.

Fifth Contest: 20-man battle royal: Whomever wins this match will earn $5,000. I’m not really sure if I could even keep track of who gets tossed in this match. This just seems completely random to have this match on the show. Lawler and Dirty Rhodes are fighting in the corner. Rhodes tries to eliminate Lawler in the corner, but can’t do it. Jeff Jarrett got ram groin first into the ring post by Goto, I think. Jarrett eliminates Sato, but Sato comes back with a chair to hit him. Goto gets pulled out by Jarrett to continue the tag feud. The final four is Lawler, Billy Travis, Boyd and Big Foot. Travis is eliminated and that leaves Lawler by himself. The referee gets knocked down and Travis comes back out to hold the Sheepherders from the apron. Lawler is able to eliminate them both from his knees and wins the match. (*. Good lord is that kind of annoying. Lawler seemingly wins everything and kills momentum of heels quickly.)

Boyd and Big Foot attack Billy Travis and Jerry Lawler. Dirty Rhodes comes out and sends Lawler into the ring post. Rhodes steals the money and pays the Sheepherders. Lawler checks on Travis, who appears to have been bloodied.

Randy Hales promotes upcoming local shows, which include dream matches. Paul Diamond has waited six weeks for this moment to get his hands on Tojo, Goto and Sato. He has a great partner in Jeff Jarrett. He’s going to break their legs for revenge. Billy Travis enters the scene and he’ll be teaming with Tommy Rich to take on the Sheepherders. He wants the Sheepherders to show up and see how tough they are. Travis didn’t learn how to cut a promo while away from the area.

Main Event: Jeff Jarrett, Pat Tanaka, Tracy Smothers & Billy Travis vs. The Animals (Duke Meyers & Mike McGuirk) & Memphis Vice (Jerry Bryant & Lou Winston): Well, Travis has apparently recovered from the attack just moments ago and has his head wrapped up with some blood stained hair. Jarrett and Bryant start the match. They run the ropes until Jarrett hits a hip toss and arm drag. Winston tags into the match and tries his luck against Jarrett. Smothers tags in and elbows Winston to the mat for a near fall. Smothers leapfrogs Winston to deliver another elbow strike. Travis enters and works over McGuirk before tagging in Tanaka to keep control of the match. Tanaka drops McGuirk with a quick savant kick on the chin. McGuirk holds Tanaka to allow Meyers to deliver several strikes who then tags in Winston. Winston takes Tanaka over with a snap suplex. Tanaka gets beaten up by Bryant for a few moments. Tanaka drops Bryant with a kick and Smothers enters the match. Travis enters and throat thrusts Bryant for a near fall as Winston breaks up the cover. Travis scoop slams Bryant for two count. Jarrett gets back into the match and elbow drops Bryant on the arm. Tanaka enters and chops Bryant followed by a scoop slam. Smothers works over Bryant with stomps.

Bryant decks Smothers into his corner and connects with a vertical suplex in the middle of the ring. Meyers enters and takes Smothers down with a swinging neckbreaker. McGuirk enters but Smothers tags out to Jarrett. McGuirk is met with a double backdrop. Travis comes off the middle rope to elbow strike McGuirk again. McGuirk eye rakes Travis and delivers a strike. Winston tags in and trades right hands until Jarrett tags in and brawls with Meyers. Meyers accidentally hits Bryant on the apron. Bryant begins to brawl with Meyers and dropkicks him over Jarrett, who was kneeling. Meyers is then pinned. (*. I’m not sure if I understand the idea behind the Animals losing the fall. I mean, Memphis Vice had stated that the next person to interfere in their match and cost them to lose would pay for that, but I think something more severe or interesting should have lead to that. I can support an apparent face turn for Bryant and Winston, though.)

Final Thoughts:
I wasn’t very entertained by this episode and there wasn’t a lot going on here, really. That’s honestly been a rarity for me to say thus far in 1986 for Memphis.

Thanks for reading.