May 23, 1981 Southeastern Championship Wrestling Television Show Review
By: Karl Stern (@dragonkingkarl, @wiwcool, karl@whenitwascool.com)
I continue my series looking at the promotion I grew up watching- NWA Southeastern Championship Wrestling. There is a month gap on YouTube since last episode so I'm going to have to go back and see if I can fill in the gap from my personal collection.
When last I watched Dennis Condrey & Randy Rose were continuing to run roughshod over the territory along with cohort Mr. Saito. Paul Orndorff, Ken Lucas, Jerry Stubbs, Ron Fuller, and Bob & Brad Armstrong were your main babyfaces and Jimmy Golden and Ron Bass were in a clique as heels. Stan Lane was the NWA U.S. Junior champion and had just ran Robert Gibson out of town and was picking up a feud with Jerry Stubbs.
When the video starts off we see that Bob & Brad Armstrong have recently unseated Dennis Condrey & Randy Rose for the NWA Southeastern tag team titles. Charlie Platt is flying solo without Les Thatcher. Platt runs down some of the people we will see on the show and it's pretty much the same group as it was a month ago. He does mention that Ray Candy is headed into the area.
Our first match is in the ring: Ron Bass verses Roy Lee Welch. Jimmy Golden joins Charlie Platt on commentary. Golden has been teaming with Bass recently. Jimmy Golden is really under rated during this entire early 1980's era. He is a great smart ass on the microphone and on commentary during this match he drops several insider references to the Welch and Fuller family (of which he himself is a cousin). Ron Bass wins with the heart punch which he is now using as a finisher.
Dennis Condrey & Randy Rose come out and watch their loss of the NWA Southeastern tag team titles to Bob & Brad Armstrong. Randy Rose has a great line "We are showing Bob Armstrong the meaning of pain! P-A-N-E pain!" The future Midnight Express really are the best during this period of time. It's such a shame that Randy Rose gets overlooked in the history of the group.
We get our hype promo for the upcoming Birmingham, Alabama Boutwell Auditorium Monday night show: Ron Fuller verses Ron Bass, Bob & Brad Armstrong defend the NWA Southeastern tag team titles against Dennis Condrey & Randy Rose, Ken Lucas defends the NWA Southeastern title against Mr. Saito, Robert Fuller verses Jimmy Golden in a special challenge match, Stan Lane verses Mr. Olympia (Jerry Stubbs) in a no DQ match, and in a singles match for some reason Dennis Condrey verses Brad Armstrong.
Well, dang, I didn't get to see Jerry Stubbs transformation into Mr. Olympia. I have it on video in my personal collection so I'll have to find it and add it to the website. Basically, Jerry Stubbs and Stan Lane have feuded the last month over the NWA U.S. Junior title when Lane decides he will not give Stubbs any more matches for the title so Stubbs puts on a mask and becomes Mr. Olympia to get around the prohibition. He continues on and off the rest of his career as Mr. Olympia in this area and Mid-South as well.
Dueling interviews with Dennis Condrey & Randy Rose and Bob & Brad Armstrong.
Charlie Platt interviews Ken Lucas and we find out that Lucas has won both the NWA Southeastern title and the NWA Alabama title.
Stan Lane out for an interview with Platt. Charlie says Jerry Stubbs has been chasing Lane all over the area. OK, maybe this is the show where we get the debut of Mr. Olympia because this is the promo where Lane says that he will not give Stubbs any more title matches. We then see video of Lane against Stubbs from one of the arenas.
Ok, this is the Mr. Olympia debut after all. Stan Lane believes he is about to wrestle a 1968 Olympic Bronze medalist who is calling himself Mr. Olympia and is about to get in the ring to face him.
Next match: Stan Lane verses Mr. Olympia (Jerry Stubbs). Stan Lane enters the ring. As soon as Mr. Olympia enters the ring Lane recognizes him as Jerry Stubbs and bails out. Olympia comes out and grabs him and throws him back into the ring and the match is on. Southeastern and later Continental did this same gimmick a million times with Ron Fuller (Tennessee Stud), Austin Idol (Mr. Gulf Coast), Bob Armstrong (Georgia Jawjacker & The Bullet), and probably others I'm forgetting. Mr. Olympia wins via DQ after Lane throws him out over the top rope.
The fight continues out of the ring for a bit then back in until Stan Lane retreats to the back.
Mr. Olympia interview at the desk.
We get a sit down interview now with Ron & Robert Fuller about Ron Bass & Jimmy Golden and watch some video from one of the arenas.
Jimmy Golden & Ron Bass promo and Golden offers a $5000 bounty to put Robert Fuller in the hospital.
Our next match is in the ring: Mr. Saito verses Bob Owens. A total squash by Saito who wins with the Japanese sleeper. Mr. Saito refuses to wake Owens up so Ken Lucas has to get in the ring and wake him up himself.
We continue talking to Ken Lucas who watches video tape of himself against Mr. Saito from one of the arenas. They are building this up as the battle of the Lucas Sleeper against the Japanese Sleeper.
Mr. Olympia & Ken Lucas and Stan Lane & Mr. Saito interviews.
TV Main Event is in the ring: Jimmy Golden verses Ron Fuller. Good back and forth match with Fuller working the leg and Golden brawling back with heel tactics. Ron Bass attacks Ron Fuller with a bull rope for the DQ and busts open Ron Fuller. Robert Fuller tries to make the save but also gets busted open. The heels bail out of the ring victorious.
Jimmy Golden & Ron Bass and Robert & Ron Fuller promos wrap up the final minutes of the show.
May 23, 1981 (Television Show): Charlie Platt hosts... Bob & Brad Armstrong interview about winning the NWA Southeastern tag team titles... Ron Bass defeated Roy Lee Welch... Dennis Condrey & Randy Rose watch the video where they lost the NWA Southeastern tag team titles to Bob & Brad Armstrong... Dennis Condrey & Randy Rose and Bob & Brad Armstrong interviews... Ken Lucas interview where we find out he is both the NWA Alabama and NWA Southeastern titles ... Stan Lane interview refusing to give Jerry Stubbs any more NWA U.S. Junior title matches... Mr. Olympia (Jerry Stubbs) defeated Stan Lane via DQ... Mr. Olympia promo... Ron & Robert Fuller interview watching video against Jimmy Golden & Ron Bass... Ron Bass & Jimmy Golden promo putting bounty on Robert Fuller... Mr. Saito defeated Bob Owens...Ken Lucas verses Mr. Saito video from the arena... Mr. Olympia & Ken Lucas and Stan Lane & Mr. Saito interviews... Ron Fuller defeats Jimmy Golden via DQ... Jimmy Golden & Ron Bass and Robert & Ron Fuller promos. (Referee: Bruce Sorenson)
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