One of the Bruise Brothers (Porkchop Cash) looks like Kimbo Slice. The Other Bruise Brother is Dream Machine in yet another incarnation. The Grapplers are muscleheads in masks. Koko is wrestling as Stagger Lee, the mask gimmick JYD would use in Mid South. Jaguar is a short guy in a Tiger Mask mask. Finally, I’m loving a babyface Eaton here.

With all that said I’ve got little in the way of anything to say about the match. The faces worked like clockwork pulling stuff off at the onset. Mantell was a stand out. Dream machine looked good for the heel team while he was in. The Grapplers/Bruise Brothers were DQed in a little over three minutes to lose the first fall. Hopefully a second fall brings an escalation of story.

Grappler/BB team takes over in the second fall. Jimmy Hart is great talking about the First Family on commentary as they rule the ring during the fall. This is a solid studio effort, but I don’t have much in the way of my own commentary on it. The match develops with a long heel heat segment before the faces come back. I think I’d feel a bit more for it if I had an emotional connection to the charcters. Porkchop cash pins someone to win the second and final fall, as most of the TV 2/3 falls to TV tie finished this way. 2 ¾ and 5/10.

Match Discussion Here

This match is probably on here just as much for novelty as match quality. Here we have a really early pairing of the Rock N Roll Express, and they partner with future famed rival Bobby Eaton. How cool is that. Apparently Eaton is now out of the Hart led First Family. Good for him.

This starts out as a brawl when everyone hits the ring. I’ve seen a lot of them lately. Luckily for me this settles into the Moondogs bumping around and selling to showcase the smaller/quicker face team. Hart tells the announcers the match is under protest in a triva note, because Ricky Morton’s dad is the referee. Interesting. Morton manages to throw the greatest drop kick soon after. I’d sold. He misses it a minute later, so we know the heat portion will be pretty good.

Morton sells like…well, Ricky Morton, so the next few minutes are good. They are made better by the fact that the Moondogs are rough powerhouses, making the offense seem really impressive. The hope spots really get the people going too.

Something I like: Morton tags in your resident house of fire, Robert Gibson. Every Mid South tag with the RnR ended with Gibson getting the tag and go to some finish. Here he gets drop kicks in on the Moondogs, then misses big. The match continues.

Eaton gets tagged in and takes both men on. He ends up on the floor after the rope gets pulled down on him. Then the Moondogs hit him low on the floor. I love this tag team of Moondogs. Hart chokes Eaton with something while ref Paul Morton is distracted. Unfortunately with Eaton selling the match loses some of it’s luster. It’s still good, but it was a little better before.

Hart comes in to get punched in the face and pinned by Eaton in 12 minutes. Great finish and a real good match. I should point out Hart never sells his beating nearly as much as I’d like a non-wrestler to do. 3 ¼ and 6.4/10.

Match Discussion Here

Duke Myers is the wild car here, because everyone else I’m very familiar with in this match. Interestingly enough, Eaton and Lane are on opposite sides here, but would go on to form a version of the Midnight Express with Eaton/Myer’s manager tonight, Jim Cornette. Also, Jimmy Hart is out there too.

This one from the arena with Jim Cornette’s hair at stake. Myer’s starts out with brawling offense to take control and the heels jump out in front. I like the quick tags early. Lane’s comebacks always have cool kicks for the time period. Stan Lane leads a face run on offense which busts open Myers. They just kill him to open up the cut. I mean epic shots to the buckle. It’s the best segment of the match so far. The Fabs are dominantly vicious. Out of nowhere 8 minutes in the ref just stops it. Knockout victory and they retain the Southern titles.

Cornette has a fit saying they were never pinned. Eddie Marlin out to restart the match because you need a three count for the stips to go forward. Fabs get on Myers right away and try pins, but Eaton is in to make the saves. The Fabs were awesome in this match. Cornette and then Hart interfere, giving Cornette time to throw Eaton a belt. He comes off the top rope, hits Lane, and Myers rolls on top for the win. Cool booking for me. 3 ¼ and 6.5/10.

Match Discussion Here

My new favorite tag team of Eaton and Sugar. If only the young Cornette could have had these guys instead of Jimmy Hart leading them, my Hart would be content. Terry Taylor, a babyface here, would go on to success in Mid South, WCW, and even a stint in WWE. He’s far more successful collecting pay checks from WWE, WCW, and now TNA while wearing a suit. Oh, and Rougeau is most famous as a tag wrestler in the Quebecers, or as a single playing The Mountie. Enough background?

I can’t go far into this one without mentioning how great the opening Eaton-Taylor exchanges are. From the lock ups to the rope running this is some awesome stuff that still would hold up today. Taylor has the slight advantage, but Eaton shows off too.

Sugar and Jacques? Yep, they show off as well. The money flip on Sugar has to be seen to be believed. Rougeau could really make a headlock count. Great flow as Eaton and Sugar finally get the heat on Rougeau for a minute, he hot tags out for some fiery babyface shots from Taylor, and then they cut him off. Quick tags on and out as the heels cut off the ring. This match rules!

Only slight problem I’ve had so far was Sugar slamming Taylor to close to his own corner and then not realizing it would be easy for the face to make the tag. It’s not time yet, so he doesn’t, but it’s an odd two seconds.

Sugar puts on a sick sleeper like submission that Taylor tries to fight out of with all his might. Hot tag, Rougeau hits a second rope drop kick and Taylor takes care of the other man. 1-2-3 Taylor/Rougeau win. 3 ¼ and 6.5/10.

Match Discussion Here

A super face team of Memphis, plus Terry Taylor, takes on the first family, plus (not that) Sabu. Sabu looks like one of the Wild Samoans.

Eaton and Brown Sugar look king-sized early working on Dundee. A lot of quick tags from the heels in and out, which to me adds points in this match’s favor. I’m a fan of fast flowing teams from the 80s tags.

Eaton throws some really hard, reckless looking body slams. I’ve never noticed that before, but I’ve also never heard him called sloppy, so I assume they just look good.

I go back and forth on whether I like these semi-out of control 8 man tags. They move well, but a lot of time it’s tough to keep up with what’s going on. I start to feel a malaise at times from them, but then someone punches up the story again and it reclaims me. This is on the positive side for the most part. Too much talent in there not to be good.

Lawler has to put the strap down quick after getting tagged in. That’s how fast we’re rolling here. Sometimes these guys just no sell blows. Lawler rolls up McGraw for the first fall win. They get it under control during commercial and the same men start out the second fall.

It’s fun to see Lawler working with Eaton in there. Sabu selling of an atomic drop was pretty damn great. Ref Callhoun is doing a pretty good job of exerting his authority in an authentic manner without being a problem to the viewer. I love him pushing Eaton’s one leg out of the ring because he wasn’t the legal man. Lawler takes a big bump off the turnbuckle when he loses control.

Sabu and Terry Taylor seem to be the weak links in there, but they aren’t horrible by any means, just less good.

Dundee and Sugar go hard at the end, which looks good, but Sugar kicks out of the finish to soon. The call it a pin anyway. I’m conflicted on whether this match won me over or if I’m a slave to my tendency to dislike studio filler matches. 3 ¼ and 6/10.

Match Discussion Here

Interesting note is that this feature half of the future heel greats the Midnight Express (Eaton) and half of the less famous but solid babyface unit, The Fantastics (Fulton). Dundee and Fulton are your faces, and Eaton and Sweet Brown Sugar seem like one hell of a team while they lasted.

The early stuff is so fast and crisp, with Fulton getting the better of Eaton and SBS. Big dramatic bumps from the heels. Sugar takes a bump over the top rope that has to be seen to be believed. Dundee’s worked kicks could take out an eye. I’m reminded of the great tag team matches on the Mid South set, and even contemporary tag matches in ROH. These guys have it down pat. Dundee is a master. Eaton knows how to be a stooge and a ring general even this early. Sugar is a perfect bumper. Fulton holds up his end well.

I cannot believe I was not a huge Koko B. Ware fan as a kid. Sweet Brown Sugar – the future Koko – is awesome. Eaton and SBS as a team are pretty great. They gain the advantage on Fulton just before the ten minute mark. When it’s not Eaton or Sugar, it’s Hart who distracts the ref. It all works like clockwork. This match moves a lot more than other tags I’ve seen on this set that rated average to lower.

Odd ending as the heels get the heat on Bobby Fulton for a long time, Dundee chases Hart for interference, and the heels take advantage and win. Just like that. It was building so nicely and then just ended. Small bonus points for how great the First Family worked as a unit in this one though. 3 and 6.4/10.

Match Discussion Here

Lance Russell lets us know right away there was a special agreement on the time limit so they could fit it into TV time. I like the Memphis structure that everything must fit into TV time instead of the fake “we’re out of time” TBS way of doing things. I just think fitting everything into TV time becomes more realistic as time goes on.

Hart is out doing mic work with Mid American champion Bobby Eaton. Eaton doesn’t like that he doesn’t have all the time he wants to defend the title. He throws the challenge out to everyone while he puts over the belt. Dutch Mantell comes out with his bull whip. Dundee is sick of waiting in the ring so he comes down. Dundee talks sense to Mantell and ask him to watch Jimmy Hart for him. They have each other’s backs apparently. Hart goes ape shit. He’s great.

Opening of the match is distracted by the ringside angle. Eaton has control early. Mantell and Hart are seated next to one another near the ring. I find the match itself competitive and both are competent in there, but it isn’t very fascinating. The match is mostly a backdrop for the angle at ringside, not the other way around.

Eaton controlled almost the whole way through until Hart trips Dundee, and Mantell chokes Hart at ringside. A minute later Mantell trips Eaton, so Dundee gets a near fall. Then the ring breaks. The bottom rope and middle rope break off. No tension. This has become more neat spectacle then a great match. Dundee wins the title a minute later. Mantell, then Sweet Brown Sugar, and then King Cobra hit the ring. Really interesting angle to watch, but not a match or angle that did a lot for me past one viewing. 2 ¼ and 4/10.

Match Discussion Here

Sugar and Eaton are your heels. Eaton is more famous for his Midnight Express team with Dennis Condrey and/or Stan Lane. I’ve never seen King Cobra before, but we’ve reviewed Dundee matches before. This is arena match footage.

Number one, the crowd heat for this match is off the charts great. The atmosphere helps make this match that much more interesting, and it’s always cool to see fans get worked up “back when they believed”. Next thing I notice right off the bat is how all the men keep this match moving, a lot of times outside the ring while the action is going on inside. It’s something g I more associate to well done RAW main event tag matches, but have come to realize was there in top shelf territory stuff too. There is a difference between a bunch of guys brawling and a well laid out tag, and this is on the right side of that line. Finally, Jimmy Hart makes the heel team feel like they have a legitimate presence in there.

Mantell runs after the heels early. King Cobra seems like a less interesting Butch Reed. Nice shuffle dance though. Dave Brown adds some good back story to the match. Mantell nails cobra around the 5 minute mark, and they flesh out the dissension pretty well. Of course they still kick some Eaton/SBS ass too.

Mantell shows some real personality, laying out begging for Eaton to come in and pin him. He’s been one of the big revelations so far on this set. Mantell makes a comeback on Eaton that Eaton eats up powerfully with a body slam. I love the sell even after regaining the heel advantage. The heels cut off the ring in a way that makes you see the early inklings of the Midnight Express. The heel teamwork is almost seamless, and Dutch bumps for a lot of stuff. Sweet Brown Sugar was very good and one heck of an athlete.

Crowd is on fire for the hot tag and Cobra gets up to throw a ton of drop kicks. Mantell doesn’t wait on anything, so he brings in a bull rope to whip the heels. Really stiff stuff as the fans go crazy, with SBS taking a flipping dive over the top rope to get out of there. DQ win for the heels in a surprisingly good match that I should have realized was great sooner. 3 ½ and 7/10.

Match Discussion Here