February 7, 1981 Southeastern Championship Wrestling Television Show Review
By: Karl Stern (@dragonkingkarl, @wiwcool, karl@whenitwascool.com)
Ron Bass is the new NWA Southeastern champion... how is anyone's guess.
I continue my series looking at NWA Southeastern Championship Wrestling from 1981 with the first show of February 1981. If you missed last weeks episode check it out here.
The sound is pretty low on this episode so it might be a struggle to make out any names if someone is unfamiliar. Charlie Platt and Les Thatcher introduces us to the show. Paul Orndorff, Ron Bass, and others will be in action on today's show.
We go to a video interview with Charlie Platt and Ron Fuller supposedly filmed in Tennessee. The gist of the video is that Ron Fuller is hurt and will be out for a few weeks but apparently he lost his smile years before Shawn Michaels did and he tells Charlie Platt that he will not return to the Southeastern area because of the emotional toll Jimmy Golden's turn has taken on him. Jimmy Golden is family to the Fuller's and he says he is done with the area and will be moving on and he vacates the NWA Southeastern title as well and gives the belt to Charlie Platt.
The first match of the day is Paul Orndorff against Oki Shikina. This is a battle of two entirely different bodies. Orndorff is ripped to shreds and Oki Shikina hasn't a muscle in his body. Orndorff is incredibly athletic in this match including landing on his feet after a back drop. Orndorff wins after a series of drop kicks followed by a suplex.
Dennis Condrey & Randy Rose come out to the desk for a look at a video tape of themselves against Norvell Austin & Paul Orndorff from earlier in the week for the NWA Southeastern tag team titles. Condrey & Rose lost by DQ but kept the tag team belts, still they (like a good heel should) complain to no end about the unfair treatment they get from referees since, as Dennis Condrey put it, they don't break the rules.
We now get the run down for the upcoming Monday night show at Birmingham, Alabama's Boutwell Auditorium: Ken Lucas verses Jimmy Golden, Ron Bass (who somehow has ended up as NWA Southeastern champion after Ron Fuller vacated the belt) defending against Paul Orndorff, Bob & Brad Armstrong & Norvell Austin verses Mr. Saito & Randy Rose & Dennis Condrey, there is a weird and rare "Women's Lib Match: Women vs Men Match" and I kid you not- listen to this: Joyce Grable & Judy Martin verses Roy Lee Welch & Robert Gibson, Jerry Stubbs (who has now lost his NWA World Junior title back to Les Thornton) verses Tom Horne, Ron Slinker verses Oki Shikina.
Les Thatcher informs us that the television show will be preempted in Birmingham next week so we might not have a February 14th show on YouTube. We get dueling interviews from Paul Orndorff and Ron Bass over the NWA Southeastern title match. It's clear that in the next five years Paul Orndorff will be one of the biggest stars in wrestling. He has the look and even though he was never considered an awesome promo he does a perfectly fine job here. Ron Bass lets us know that the status of this title is important right now because NWA World heavyweight champion Harley Race will be coming in soon and the holder of this belt should be the top contender.
Charlie Platt is now joined by Randy Rose & Dennis Condrey who are the NWA Southeastern tag team champions and Mr. Saito who is the NWA Alabama champion. Mr. Saito will be wrestling Bob Armstrong later today on television as part of championship month on the program.
Our next match is in the ring: Ron Bass (NWA Southeastern champion) verses Robert Gibson. I presume this is a non-title match. Ron Bass spends most of the match working over the leg of Robert Gibson. Ron Bass ends up throwing Robert Gibson over the top rope for the disqualification and then shoves down the referee. We still get no explanation why Ron Bass is Southeastern champion.
We then get a heck of an interview (please note the sarcasm) with Roy Lee Welch and Robert Gibson about their upcoming Women's Liberation match with Joyce Grable & Judy Martin. This must have been a high point for Robert Gibson's career. It's hard to hear due to the sound level but it seems like they are taking this ridiculous match all around the circuit this week.
Les Thatcher then interviews Bob & Brad Armstrong who will be working against Randy Rose & Dennis Condrey & Mr. Saito this week with Norvell Austin as their partner. Brad Armstrong was the NWA U.S. Junior champion last week but there's no mention of it now but they aren't talking about that anyway, they are putting over the women's lib match. This segment drug out way too long.
I did just notice that there is a February 14, 1981 show on YouTube also so we will be reviewing that soon.
Next up is dueling promos between Bob Armstrong and Mr. Saito who have been feuding recently in gimmick matches and over the NWA Alabama title. They will wrestle later today on television for the title. I assume this is where Rose & Condrey and Norvell Austin will get involved to set up the arena matches this week.
We then go to the ring for the NWA Alabama title match: Mr. Saito (NWA Alabama champion) verses Bob Armstrong. A back and forth match until referee Larry Brock gets bumped and the match spills out onto the floor. Bob Armstrong puts Mr. Saito in the Japanese sleeper (Cobra Clutch) and is attacked and hit with an object by Dennis Condrey & Randy Rose. Saito rolls Armstrong into the ring and hooks on his version of the Japanese sleeper just in time for Larry Brock to wake up and begin counting Armstrong down. Senior referee Tommy Weathers rolls into the ring and stops Brock from making this mistake. So, Bob Armstrong apparently wins by DQ then all the babyfaces, including Paul Orndorff, run in to prevent Saito from further attacking Armstrong.
Senior official Tommy Weathers announces that he is not giving the NWA Alabama title back to Mr. Saito but is holding the belt up.
Time for a pre-recorded dueling interview segment with Dennis Condrey & Randy Rose & Mr. Saito on one side and Bob & Brad Armstrong & Norvell Austin on the other. We still have no explanation why they have just dropped Norvell Austin wrestling as the masked Shadow from time to time.
Our next match is a television squash with Jimmy Golden against Ray Harris. Ray Harris is a skinny jobber and Jimmy Golden just ran the owner of the company and champion out of town so I'm betting things are not going to go well for Mr. Harris. During this match they are talking about Golden recently wrestling Mr. Wrestling II who is not in the area at this time so I'm not sure where that happened at. Mr. Wrestling II was a top star in Georgia at this point. Harris actually got a little offense in the match but Golden beats him clean with the neck breaker.
Jimmy Golden joins Charlie Platt and Les Thatcher at the desk to view a video tape of Golden against Mr. Wrestling II. Golden beats Wrestling II by hitting him with a foreign object and pinning him. Golden uses to the interview to insult Ron Fuller, who he has now ran out of town, and Ken Lucas who is returning to the area. Golden turns to insult the crowd and is attacked from behind by Ken Lucas. The two fight until the cameras go black and we get the promo for Boutwell Auditorium again.
Interviews now between Jimmy Golden and Ken Lucas.
No Jerry Stubbs this week.
February 7, 1981 (Television Show): Hosts Charlie Platt & Les Thatcher: Ron Fuller leaves the area and vacates the NWA Southeastern title following the heel turn of Jimmy Golden... Paul Orndorff defeated Oki Shikina ... Dennis Condrey & Randy Rose interview about match with Paul Orndorff & Norvell Austin... Ron Bass and Paul Orndorff interview... Dennis Condrey & Randy Rose & Norvell Austin interview... Robert Gibson defeated Ron Bass by DQ... Roy Lee Welch & Robert Gibson interview about women's lib match... Bob Armstrong and Mr. Saito interview... Bob Armstrong defeated Mr. Saito by DQ... Pre-recorded promos with Dennis Condrey & Randy Rose & Dennis Condrey and Bob & Brad Armstrong & Norvell Austin... Jimmy Golden defeated Ray Harris... Clips of Jimmy Golden defeating Mr. Wrestling II... Ken Lucas and Jimmy Golden promos... (Referee: Tommy Weathers & Larry Brock)
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