Pro Wrestling Chronicle

Match # 14: Ted Dibiase vs Hacksaw Jim Duggan 7/29/83

I tried to watch this through without writing in real time. I hadn’t done that since we’ve started the process, so I figured it was a perspective worth trying. I got about six minutes in and had to start writing.

This is a total hardcore brawl from a house show in Houston. Paul Boesch is on commentary, but I’m wishing it was Watts. Watts would be explaining how Dibiase and Borne lost the tag straps, and more relevant to this match, how these two had a falling out. Boesch is a really basic (bad) announcer, but he means well.

Match starts out awesome. They’re in street clothes as Duggan enters the ring and Dibiase charges him. They go all out brawl from there. First few minutes see Duggan potato Dibiase with punches on the ground. They actually have some great standing exchanges. Dibiase sells the main event heel he is. He also takes his belt off and wraps it around his fist as he punches, in lieu of not wearing his dreaded loaded glove.

Crowd is great. Layout is heel trying to get the jump, winning exchanges with the belt fist, losing off a hot comeback (fans do the “ohh” with each punch), and heel running for cover.

Audio clip moment: Boesch, on commentary, says the two men are in “an embrace on the ground”. I feel icky now.

Shirts get ripped and used for choking. Really resembles a decent realistic bar fight. Well, realistic by wrestling standards. The intensity is greater than a lot of modern matches. Lots of choking.

Great moment: a woozy Duggan swings hard punches at the air with Dibiase just out of reach.

Christ, Duggan wasn’t bad. He seemed a lot worse in the WWF. He beats Dibiase with boots, by whipping him, and even pulls out a chair, A chair in Mid South is serious business. So what does Dibiase do? He grabs a chair and misses a big shot by hitting the post. Duggan remains the aggressor.

I’m confused as to why Skando Akbar is out at ringside managing Ted Dibiase, but he distracts Duggan long enough for Dibiase to nail him. Doesn’t last long though. Apparently every match I’m seeing must be a blow off, because the heels take a huge beating in Mid South. Perhaps it’s the set layout so far.

Duggan ducks chairshots as Akbar hits Ted weakly and a minute later Ted goes only slightly looser in accidentally hitting Akbar. Duggan gets the chair, cracks Dibiase, and gets the babyface pin. That was fairly dominant considering the heel tactics and interference. No idea why Akbar even had to be there.

I’m not sure how to quantify or qualify this match. It’s hardcore, with a build up I didn’t see. Fans did and they were hot for the match. I get the gist of the story as Dibiase and Duggan were a faction with
Duggan playing wacko enforcer to Dibiase’s manipulative cerebral leader. The match told a story and accomplished it’s goal. That’s worth something. 3 ¼ and 6/10.