February 14, 1981 Southeastern Championship Wrestling Television Show Review
By: Karl Stern (@dragonkingkarl, @wiwcool, karl@whenitwascool.com)
When It Was Cool continues our series looking at the promotion I grew up watching- Ron Fuller's NWA Southeastern Championship Wrestling (which becomes Continental Wrestling in the summer of 1985). This episode is February 14, 1981. If you missed last week then click here.
Charlie Platt and Les Thatcher kick off the program as usual and they remind us it is championship month on the program with a title match on every show. Last week we had Bob Armstrong against Mr. Saito for the NWA Alabama title and this week we have NWA U.S. Junior heavyweight champion Brad Armstrong defending against the former champion and recently the NWA World Junior heavyweight champion Jerry Stubbs.
They continue to build up the NWA World heavyweight champion coming to town and right now that man is Harley Race. He will defend the title against the NWA Southeastern heavyweight champion and right now that man is "Outlaw" Ron Bass. Ken Lucas will also wrestle on television for the first time since his return to the area.
First thing up is a split screen interview with Jerry Stubbs who is challenging for the NWA U.S. Junior title today. He is billed as the man to hold the belt the longest. He will face the champion Brad Armstrong who is being billed as the youngest man to hold that belt.
The first match on the show is, in fact, the NWA U.S. Junior title match: Brad Armstrong (champion) verses Jerry Stubbs. One of the best matches I ever saw live happened between these two about five or six years later so I know they have good chemistry. It's a good back and forth match but several minutes in Dennis Condrey & Randy Rose come out and hand Jerry Stubbs a board and want him to hit Brad with it. Last week on the show Condrey & Rose had beaten his father Bob Armstrong up with the same board.
Jerry Stubbs decides he doesn't want to do that and the future Midnight Express hit the ring and beat down Stubbs with the board. Brad comes back to make the save but the heels turn on him and father Bob runs in to help save everyone. It's a big brawl that also includes Ron Slinker and Mr. Saito.
Up next we get our first run down of the coming weeks Birmingham, Alabama Boutwell Auditorium card: Lights Out Non-Sanctioned match: Ken Lucas verses Jimmy Golden, Bob & Brad Armstrong & a Mystery Partner verses Dennis Condrey & Randy Rose & Mr. Saito, Southeastern heavyweight title no DQ match: Ron Bass defends against Paul Orndorff, Jerry Stubbs verses Oki Shikina, Robert Gibson verses Stan Lane.
Paul Orndorff and Ron Bass cut promos on each other for their upcoming series of matches this week.
Charlie Platt then has a sit down interview with Ken Lucas who has returned to the area. Lucas says he has been working in Tennessee recently. OK, then we are thrown for a loop. Apparently this was taped way out of order because Ken Lucas reveals that he is the new NWA Southeastern heavyweight champion and he defeated Ron Bass for the belt and has the belt with him. So the interview that proceeded this with Ron Bass and Paul Orndorff now makes no sense as they were talking about fighting over the Southeastern title so they could get a shot at world champion Harley Race.
We then get an interview by the figurehead President of the Southeastern area Don Curtis who stumbles and mumbles through an interview that really says nothing important.
Our next match is in the ring: Oki Shikina verses Robert Gibson. The bulk of the commentary is spent talking about the earlier angle where Dennis Condrey & Randy Rose beat up Jerry Stubbs with a wooden board, meanwhile, Gibson is dominating Shikina in the ring. Robert Gibson wins with the Thesz Press.
We get an interview by Charlie Platt with Dennis Condrey & Randy Rose & Mr. Saito. They say there aren't three men in wrestling that can beat them. I think Doyle Hardgrove from Sling Blade was based on Dennis Condrey. Their heel interviews are similar and that's a compliment. Randy Rose doesn't get enough love. Condrey & Rose really are amazing heels.
We now join Bob Armstrong & Brad Armstrong to hear their side of it. Right now they are outnumbered. It seems the natural mystery partner for the Armstrongs should be Jerry Stubbs but I guess we will see. Nope. The mystery partner is Andre the Giant. Bob reveals this in the interview with a big poster of Andre in the background. I should have seen this coming since they have been hyping Andre the Giant making an appearance for a few weeks now.
Of course we cut back to Rose & Condrey who are infuriated about this announcement.
Back to the ring for our next match: Paul Orndorff verses Chick Donovan. This is Chick Donovan's first appearance in the area and he would be an on and off again junior heavyweight for the next three years or so. Good back and forth match between Orndorff and Donovan. One of the better television matches of recent weeks. Orndorff wins with a back slide.
Another interview with Brad & Bob Armstrong and Randy Rose & Dennis Condrey & Mr. Saito.
Another Ken Lucas interview that seems out of order. Charlie Platt watches clips of Lucas' match recently verses Jimmy Golden. We found out earlier that Ken Lucas is now the NWA Southeastern champion having beat Ron Bass at parts unknown for the belt but there is no mention of it now.
Television main event: Ron Bass verses Ken Lucas. OK, this is interesting. Ron Bass or Ken Lucas both or neither may be the NWA Southeastern champion. I have no idea what is going on with the belt. This match was not announced as a title match and no mention has been made in the introduction about the belt. Ken Lucas pretty much takes the match and in short order catches Ron Bass in the Lucas Sleeper hold but Jimmy Golden runs in and attacks him from behind.
Bob Armstrong hits the ring to save Lucas and a brawl breaks out. The heels retreat to the dressing room.
Interviews now with Jimmy Golden and Ken Lucas. Golden is still carrying Ron Fuller's bloody Tennessee Stud mask with him. No mention again of Lucas being champion or the Southeastern belt.
Charlie Platt and Les Thatcher wrap up the show.
February 14, 1981 (Television Show): ... Jerry Stubbs and Brad Armstrong interviews... Jerry Stubbs defeated Brad Armstrong by DQ in a NWA U.S. Junior title match... Big brawl featuring Jerry Stubbs, Brad Armstrong, Dennis Condrey, Randy Rose, Bob Armstrong, Ron Slinker, Mr. Saito... Interviews with Paul Orndorff and Ron Bass... Interview with Ken Lucas where he reveals he has won the NWA Southeastern heavyweight title from Ron Bass... Promo by Don Curtis... Robert Gibson defeated Oki Shikina... Interview with Dennis Condrey & Randy Rose & Mr. Saito... Bob & Brad Armstrong reveal their mystery partner is Andre the Giant... Paul Orndorff defeated Chick Donovan... Bob & Brad Armstrong and Randy Rose & Dennis Condrey & Mr. Saito interview... Ken Lucas interview and clips of match verses Jimmy Golden... Ken Lucas defeated Ron Bass by DQ... Jimmy Golden and Ken Lucas interview... (Referee: Tommy Weathers)
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