Pro Wrestling Chronicle

Match # 73: Dick Murdoch vs. Dr. Death (9/20/85)

A TV match with Dr. Death Steve Williams as the heel, complete with Bob Sweetan in his corner. He’s challenging the babyface North American Title holder, Dick Murdoch. I am pumped. A heel Doc and a face Murdoch. Why can’t this be arena footage!?

Butch Reed interrupts Boyd Pierce announcing the participants. Reed wants the winner, and Captn’ Redneck tells him to take a seat. Good deal, Murdoch. His promo was pretty much nothing and though I infer some racism whenever Murdoch looks a black man’s way, in this case he’s right. Also the N.A. belt was a goofy gigantic strap, wasn’t it? Comic book-like, really.

Early we get some great GREAT amateur style work from Doc. I know people will watch this and claim it’s basic, and it is, but Doc is so smooth and Murdoch isn’t Shelton Benjamin. The cool thing is Murdoch would reverse it or try the same move of his own. Tight back and forth stuff without the modern tendency to do it fast thinking speed makes it visually greater. Good soup takes time to make, and this stuff is paced.

Butch Reed shown sitting at ring side. Glad that was played back in. Joel Watts and JR are really good here, and the presentation is sports oriented.

Doc finally decides to use the hair pull to cheat a bit, and the next go-round he twists the arm and Murdoch clocks him with elbows. Murdoch also manages to sell his own arm. Now it’s on, and the guys take a more physically harder and therefore violent stance. It should be noted that among all this amateur wrestling style with limited striking, there are some smart pin attempts. Logic so far.

Murdoch stalls out Doc in a front face lock and Doc can’t get out, even picking him up and bulling into the corner. 3rd times a charm. Doc w/ an elbow and then rear chin lock. These guys are so physical, which is what attracted me to All Japan (and Dr. Death) and later early ROH.

Doc flies through the ropes on a charge and Sweetan is there to get him up. Sweetan is jawing with Reed, and then decks him. Ref yelling at them and doesn’t see the airplane spin Murdoch has on Steve Williams. Ref gets knocked out, then Sweetan takes out Murdoch, and finally Reed knocks Sweetan out of the ring. Mid South books these crazy finishes pretty well, and this one was average to good in execution. Nothing stellar.

Doc and Reed get into it with Murdoch still down, and Reed (contrived at this point) ends up knock down on Murdoch. I guess it gives the illusion/tease of a visual fall by Reed, but for a moment I thought we were gonna get some kind of Russo finish.

Murdoch eventually wakes up and punches Reed before falling to both heels. Great punches from Murdoch, and I kinda get that Murdoch would attack Reed in a misunderstanding for interference, but JR’s logic that Reed was there to help him is pretty funny. Reed was there for selfish reasons and should have left when Murdoch asked him to at the start. Still, Murdoch doing that early laid great seeds for a turn and a reason why even if seen as a heel, he might do this.

Fantastics and Perez/Cooley are in to protect Murdoch, but they become props in a knock down brawl between Reed and Murdoch.

Pretty cool angle and classic Mid South detailed booking, but it’s more of a good storyline/moment than a great match. In fact there’s not much to it. I liked the first minutes but not much past mat wrestling and a few spots. In my junk been of good middle of the road matches. 2 ¼ and 5/10.

Match Discussion Here