April 25, 1981 Southeastern Championship Wrestling Television Show Review
By: Karl Stern (@dragonkingkarl, @wiwcool, karl@whenitwascool.com)
NWA Southeastern Championship Wrestling
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). If you missed the last episode click here.
I watched this episode out of order to the others so I am filling in a gap of missing shows here so pardon me if I forget something we saw earlier. From the time listed on the video it looks like we have a little more than half the episode here.
The video stars off in the middle of a Stan Lane interview with Charlie Platt.
We then cut tape to an interview with Dennis Condrey & Randy Rose & Mr. Saito and we are watching a tape of a Japanese Death Match between Mr. Saito and Paul Orndorff. They have the top rope removed for the match and you win by throwing an opponent out of the ring. This actually looks very dangerous. I could see someone tumbling out and really getting hurt. Mr. Saito cleanly throws Paul Orndorff out for the win.
We go to the ring for a match: Dennis Condrey & Randy Rose (NWA Southeastern tag team champions) verses Roy Lee Welch & Jerry Stubbs. This should be pretty good. Jerry Stubbs and Randy Rose have a good chemistry against each other. Recently, Randy Rose broke a board over Stubbs head.
There is a nice suplex by Rose on Roy Lee Welch. Welch is really used well by Southeastern. He isn't a "jobber" in the classic sense but he doesn't win very often. He is a really good mat wrestler but there is nothing special about his look. So, all in all, he is well used in this lower card role.
A double team by Rose & Condrey leads to Randy Rose pinning Roy Lee Welch for the win.
We get a set of interviews. Charlie Platt interviews Bob & Brad Armstrong & Ron Fuller about steel cage matches upcoming this week. They have a section of steel cage set up on the set and are taping through it. They show clips of the Armstrongs against Condrey & Rose. They are billing this as Brad Armstrong's first steel cage match.
We go to Les Thatcher interviewing Randy Rose & Dennis Condrey. A few minutes later Thatcher talks with Jimmy Golden as well.
Les Thatcher also gets brief comments from heel referee Tommy Weathers who is holding the key for one of the cage matches. One cage match will be a regular cage match and the other will be an escape the cage rules match.
To the ring for our next match: Stan Lane (NWA U.S. Junior champion) verses Brad Armstrong. This is a non-title match and should be a good one. Both Stan Lane and Brad Armstrong are really young but really good in 1981.
The match turns out to be a solid but simple back and forth match. Sometimes, early in his career, Brad look more like a Bob Armstrong clone than the spectacular athlete he turned into later. Randy Rose & Dennis Condrey hit the ring to attack Brad and it turns into a brawl. Jerry Stubbs & Bob Armstrong hit the ring for the save and it turns into a brawl. Brad is busted open.
Back from the break we have Les Thatcher sitting with Dennis Condrey & Randy Rose for an interview but first we hear from Bob & Brad Armstrong. Condrey reminds us that he hates liars, thieves, and crybabies. Condrey & Rose, and this is still sometime before they begin calling themselves the Midnight Express, don't really have a gimmick aside from being two circa 1970's douche bag bullies and they are fantastic at it.
We go to the ring for another match: Ron Bass (NWA Southeastern heavyweight champion) verses Bob Owens. This is announced as a title match though I don't think anyone gives Owens even the slimmest of chances. Ron Bass wins and debuts the heart punch which will cause controversy in the coming weeks. Les Thatcher name drops former WWF champion Stan Stasiak as well.
Jimmy Golden comes out to the desk with Charlie Platt & Les Thatcher. Ron Fuller comes out to sign the steel cage match contract and jaws back and forth with his cousin Golden. Hi-jinx ensue with Ron Fuller pulling Jimmy Golden's new hat off his head and punching his fist through it then slamming it back over his head around his neck like a cartoon.
We now get the run down graphics for the upcoming Monday Night show in Birmingham, Alabama's Boutwell Auditorium: Ron Fuller verses Jimmy Golden in a steel cage match, Randy Rose & Dennis Condrey verses Bob & Brad Armstrong in a steel cage match, Ron Bass verses Ken Lucas for the NWA Southeastern title, Mr. Saito defends the NWA Alabama title against Roberto Soto, Stan Lane defends the NWA U.S. Junior title against Jerry Stubbs, Suzette Ferreira verses Candy Malloy.
Ron Fuller and Jimmy Golden dueling interviews.
The show wraps up with a hot promo from Bob & Brad Armstrong.
April 25, 1981 (Television Show): Charlie Platt & Les Thatcher hosts... Stan Lane interview... Dennis Condrey & Randy Rose & Mr. Saito interview... Dennis Condrey & Randy Rose defeated Jerry Stubbs & Roy Lee Welch... Interviews with Bob & Brad Armstrong & Ron Fuller and clips of match verses Randy Rose & Dennis Condrey...Interview with Dennis Condrey & Randy Rose... Jimmy Golden interview... Interview with Tommy Weathers...Brad Armstrong defeated Stan Lane by DQ... Dennis Condrey & Randy Rose interview... Bob & Brad Armstrong interview...Ron Bass defeated Bob Owens... Jimmy Golden and Ron Fuller contract signing... Ron Fuller and Jimmy Golden interviews... Bob & Brad Armstrong promo. (Referee: Not identified)
I hope you have found these results helpful. Please consider a small donation to our website to help us add even more content. Thank you!
