Byrne - Tracking the Territories 1984- Volume Three

Tracking the territories: Volume Three

by Liam Byrne

To my wife for her unbending support.

To all who have read and enjoyed any of my writing, whether Tracking the Territories or otherwise.

To all the wrestling fans across multiple forums and social media platforms who make this sport a joy to cover.

To my family.

Enjoy.

Contents

Six months down, six months to go

Though Hulk Hogans victory over the Iron Sheik at Madison Square Garden on the 23 rd of January is historically one of the most significant if not THE most significant moments of the year, 1984 continued to throw up surprise and intrigue as all promotions scrabbled for an increasing slice of the national pie. Arguably, this is not made clearer to a watching audience than in the time between July and September of that year.

The WWF World Heavyweight Title going to Hulk Hogan, especially after years of being held back in the AWA, was Vince McMahons big move to begin to appeal to a mass audience. Coupled with the arrival of Cyndi Lauper on the scene, things were about ready to explode as the WWF were less than a month away from broadcasting live on MTV as Wendi Richter took on the Fabulous Moolah for the WWF Womens Title. Things continued to look up for McMahon as he sought to ride the crossover appeal between rock and wrestling, yet this didnt mean he wasnt still looking around at ways to cripple those who sought to usurp him at the top of the mountain.

Over the next few months, well see the WWF continue to grab talent from their nearest rivals, most notably World Class and Mid-South, though not all of their acquisitions would work out in the long run. This also leads to the elevation of talent to fill the voids left by those seeking the bright lights of New York as their next career move. How they go about this some with grace, some with barely hidden vitriol would add a layer of interest to the weekly television during this time period.

Wed also see our first real casualty of the war for national control as the Georgia territory as it had been was lost, brought about at the hands of Vince McMahon and his desire for broadcast televisions spots for the WWF. Like a phoenix from the ashes, a revived Georgia would rise up, but never quite return to past glories.

Not everything was going to go the WWFs way, however. As the winter months began to approach, a new promotion would spring up that aimed to utilise the best talent from a whole raft of different promotions; the enemy of my enemy is my friend. In the long term, egos would inevitably get in the way, but we witness the birth of a concerted attempt to halt the juggernaut that McMahons promotion was threatening to become.

Outside of the WWF, huge talent changes would leave Mid-Atlantic and Florida looking completely different by the end of September, whilst Memphis would continue ride off the back of a Lawler and Rude feud that would lead to its fair share of trademark Memphis violence.

As with Volume 2, it is Mid-South where we begin again to track the territories throughout 1984. Enjoy.

July

Mid-South Wrestling 6.7.84

We join Boyd Pierce and Bill Watts as Pierce runs down the card for us. The Midnight Express are due to face The Pretty Young Things who have moved from Memphis for a run in Mid-South, whilst Sonny King is also due to face Buddy Landell in a continuation of their bad blood from recent weeks. With Watts suggesting that actions speak louder than words, we head to the ring with Jim Ross accompanied by Jim Cornette and Mr Wrestling II.

Cornette announces Wrestling II as his new bodyguard due to all of the weirdos running around Mid-South, including people like Jim Duggan. As for his other charges, it is the Midnight Express who are up first in their match against The Pretty Young Things. Having seen them come from Memphis as heels to de facto babyfaces is somewhat of a change, though the use of Michael Jackson for entrance music guarantees a positive response from most people even if it is rather muted for the new team. It is also interesting for Ware and Austin to be involved straight away with Condrey, Eaton and Cornette, with all five men having been through Memphis pretty much at the same time.

The fans are quickly behind them as they avoid an initial Midnights charge and trip them up from outside the ring before unleashing an attacking onslaught that has the champions fleeing the ring. Ware opens for the PYT as they attack the arms of first Condrey and then Eaton, with Austin joining in with an armdrag and armlock. A handful of hair doesnt stop Austin as he lands an armdrag on the incoming Condrey. This tagging and arm based offense continues as the early exchanges clearly go to the newcomers. Ware shows that he is incredibly athletic as well with a leapfrog and dropkick, but Austin gets caught in the Midnights corner after a blind tag by Eaton out of a bodyslam.

The heat segment is brief though as Austin fights his way to Ware after punching Condrey several times in the stomach, which leads to a four man brawl. Austin dropkicks both Midnights, sending Condrey back into the referee by mistake. This prompts a wild, and uncharacteristically missed, finish to the match as Ware dropkicks Cornette off of the apron before Jim Duggan halts Mr Wrestling IIs attempts to land a top rope move by chucking him off of the top and removing his mask in one swoop. With the focus on the unmasking, the camera completely misses Ware cradle Condrey for the three count. A big way to introduce the PYT; a shame that the big pin was overshadowed by the Duggan/Wrestling II shenanigans.

Steve Williams is up next against Hans Schroeder, though Terry Taylors Television Title medal is on Watts mind as Williams still has it in his possession. Schroeder has some early success with an armlock and side headlock. It is incredibly short-lived however, with Williams landing a clothesline and a body slam before dropping Schroeder with a tackle to set-up the Stampede. Taylor comes down to ringside with Ross in tow and asks again for his medal back, with Williams calling him a punk and telling him to go through him to get it back. Williams shoves Taylor down before leaving and Taylor gets up promising that if thats what it takes, he will do just that. An oddly heelish slant to the booking for Williams at this point who is a natural face in the area, but it is good to see him involved in an actual storyline.

Dale Veasey and Bob Brown are this weeks sacrificial lambs as The Fantastics head to the ring for their second match on Mid-South television. Some quick work by Tommy Rogers and Veasey almost sees Rogers pick up the win with a crossbody after several drop downs, but Veasey kicks out at two. They battle over a side headlock before Veasey manages to power Rogers into the heel corner for a tag. In a similar spot, Rogers does the same to Brown in order to tag out to Fulton, who lands a dropkick and an armdrag. Veasey lands a knee from the apron, but it isnt long before Rogers is tagged back in to hit a powerslam off of a Fulton Irish whip for the pin. A pretty non-descript outing for the Fantastics.

Continuing on from the bad blood in recent weeks, Sonny King is up next in singles action against Buddy Landell. Landell makes the poor decision to try and trade punches with King, only to miss and eat several shots to the gut and chest. King drags Landell to the mat with a front facelock. A double leg trip, stomp and eye rake allows Landell some respite, but King takes Landell down with a big boot to the stomach before putting the front facelock back on. He continues to hold the lock, earning several nearfalls as Landell rolls onto his back to try and bridge out.