[tucking fypo]

CWA Battle of Memphis
Thursday, Week 2, June 1983
Memphis, Tennessee
Attendance: 10,000 (Sell Out)

Pre Show Match
--Meng and the Barbarian def. The Fantastics in 6:48 by pinfall after a Meng superkick on Tommy Rogers. (C+, 66)

Pre Show Match
--Bobby Eaton def. Rip Rogers in 6:48 by pinfall following an Alabama Jam. (B-, 71)

--Jim Cornette opens the show with an interview with Lance Russell. Cornette tells Russell and the fans that they will see the best singles wrestlers that make a tag team tonight in the Midnight Express. He says after they win both matches, they will be winning the tag team titles on July 4. Cornette ends the interview by asking Lance how Memphis girls turn on their bedroom lights. “They open the car door, Lance!!” Russell feigns disgust as Dennis Condrey makes his way out for a match. (B, 81)

--Dennis Condrey w/Jim Cornette def. Stan Lane in 11:09 by a quick pinfall after a distraction by Jim Cornette. (B, 80) Lance Russell calls Cornette over to call him out on his interference. Cornette says ‘if you ain’t cheating, you ain’t trying’. (B, 81)

--Steve Keirn def. Norvell Austin w/Jim Cornette in 7:40 by pinfall after a small package when Stan Lane distracted Norvell Austin by attacking Cornette and ripping his pants off of him, forcing him to the backstage area. (B-, 73) After the match, Keirn, Lane, Condrey, and Austin brawl around ringside as Lance Russell pleads for them to go somewhere else. (C+, 69)

--Jimmy Hart comes out and hypes the Moondogs upcoming title match against the Rock ‘n’ Roll Express. (B+, 84)

AWA Southern Tag Team Titles
--The Rock ‘n’ Roll Express def. The Moondogs in 9:34 by pinfall after Morton took Spot’s bone to the top rope when referee Jerry Calhoun was down, threw it to Moondog Rex, who caught it, while Morton missile dropkicked the bone into Rex’s face for the cover. (B, 80) The Rock ‘n’ Roll Express make their 2nd defense of the Southern tag team titles.

--Bill Dundee def. Manny Fernandez w/Jim Cornette in 15:35 by pinfall following a piledriver. (B+, 85) After the match, Dundee chases Cornette, who had duck taped his pants together, away from ringside. Dundee pulls Manny to the outside onto the announcers table and piledrives him again. (B, 80)

--A video montage is shown of the events leading up to the Steve Williams/Randy Savage title match. (B+, 86)

NWA Mid-America Title Match
--’Dr. Death’ Steve Williams def. Randy Savage in 16:17 by pinfall after an Oklahoma Stampede. (A, 93) Williams makes his 3rd defense of the Mid-America title.

--Junkyard Dog and Jerry Lawler come out and hype their tag team match against Buzz Sawyer and Larry Zbyszko. (A+, 100)

--Before the match, while JYD and Lawler are in the ring, Buzz Sawyer and Larry Zbyszko cut an interview with Lance Russell with Zbyszko taunting Lawler and Sawyer barking at JYD, who barks back at him. (A+, 100)

--Junkyard Dog and Jerry Lawler def. Buzz Sawyer and Larry Zbyszko in 20:32 after a Thump by JYD and ensuing piledriver by Lawler on Zbyszko. (A+, 99) JYD and Lawler celebrate the win as the show ends. (A+, 97)

Show Rating: A+, 97

Post Show Notes
--Great show with our highest show rating of 1983, exceeding last month’s Night of Champions by 1 point. Also, another match of the year candidate, this in a tag team match, and far exceeding any tag match I’ve had in this run.

--Larry’s three appearance run comes to an end as he heads back to Georgia.

--I check to see if I can strike up a working agreement with the WWF, since there are only a couple of Saturdays that would come into conflict. They have a few notable faces that could work in CWA. Just a few.

--It turns out that Jerry Jarrett wants nothing to do with the WWF or Vince McMahon. Still some hard feelings about what happened in real life, I guess.

--Dr. Death and Savage put on what would have been the best match on any other card in another promotion. Savage is slowly becoming a legit contender and Dr. Death has established his potential dominance. No backstage attitude could lead to a stellar run if he can keep it up. The Creative Team thinks that Savage is an upper midcarder. I put him at main event status just because...its Randy Savage!!

--The tag team scramble continues as the Rock ‘n’ Roll Express defend against the Moondogs while the Midnight Express and Fabulous Ones split their singles matches. A big announcement is coming in the future for these teams at Red, White, and Bruise.