Pro Wrestling Chronicle

Match # 7: Bill Dundee & Tommy Rich vs. Dutch Mantell & Austin Idol (3/12/81)

This is a World tag title match with Dundee and Rich back together challenging for the titles. Mantell is a longtime high card wrestler in Memphis who you’ll see a lot of in these diaries. He’s one of the hairier wrestlers you’ll see and is presently writing for TNA after booking in Puerto Rico. Austin Idol is an odd story for the simple fact he may have been a major player in wrestling outside of Memphis and the Gulf Coast had he not been afraid of flying after a plane crash he was in took the lives of several colleagues.

This is our first arena match on the set, but we still get the great Lance Russell commentary. Dundee does a great block of a hip toss early, and then switches without a tag to Tommy Rich.

Russell: “They’ll make two tags next time”.

It dawns on me that Rich was a great “southern style” or “Memphis” wrestler who just didn’t translate nationally. Of the four in the ring, probably only Idol would translate all through the territories and nationally. Rich was a decent medium-big man who could really talk. Also of note is the fact the ref is Tommy Marlin, most likely related to Eddie Marlin from the Memphis office.

Faces dominate the first six minutes until Idol pulls the rope down on Tommy Rich, who hits the concrete floor. Russell shines here on commentary saying that Idol claims he fell off the apron and had to grab the rope, all the while playing the skeptic. Heels really get heat for this and team on Rich for a minute of two.

Dundee is a good tag partner on the apron as he’s constantly active either cheerleading the crowd or trying to get a tag. If he’s not doing that he’s trying to get at the cheating heels or telling the ref everything he missed while the heels cheat.

Dundee gets a hot tag and goes right to that great sleeper which works so well because he’s shorter than everybody else. Dutch can really move and Idol is good at overselling. They are better than decent heels. Dutch quells a Dundee rally with a front face lock at the ten minute mark. Crowd really wants the tag.

Nothing about this match stands out as great for the style, but the timing and awareness is there. Basically, nothing is wrong so far.

Dundee stops a pin by pulling Mantell off him by his hair. That’s a new one. Dundee continues to fight back and gets the pin on a roll up of Mantell at 14 minutes. Crowd goes nuts for it. I liked it a lot, but I’m not sure I want to put it above the last match. 3 ¼ and 6.7/10.

Match Discussion Here