June 20, 1981 Southeastern Championship Wrestling Television Show Review
By: Karl Stern (@dragonkingkarl, @wiwcool, karl@whenitwascool.com)
We continue our look at the NWA Southeastern Championship Wrestling promotion and television program from 1981. If you missed last week click here.
Charlie Platt introduces the show. After the departure of Les Thatcher a month or so ago we had Al Roberts for a few weeks. Charlie says that Ron Fuller will be the guest announcer this week so maybe Roberts is already gone.
Charlie Platt tells us that they had planned on giving Brad Armstrong the NWA Rookie of the Year (in June) trophy today on the show but prior to the show Randy Rose & Dennis Condrey came out and busted up the trophy. I suppose we might see footage of this later.
Charlie also tells us that the NWA has now banned the heart punch so Ron Bass is going to have to find a new finishing move.
Our first match is in the ring: Randy Rose verses Ray Harris. One half of the NWA Southeastern tag team champions is in singles action today. Rose is accompanied by his partner Dennis Condrey who is wearing a very 1981 outfit. Charlie says Al Roberts is taking "a bit of a vacation this week" I don't know if I'm supposed to read something into that or not. Ron Fuller joins Platt on commentary. I think Rose & Condrey's gimmick is "Two 1981 dudes who drive around in a Camero listening to Fleetwood Mac and complaining about the cost of weed, drinking Coors, while kicking the crap out of jobbers." Randy Rose wins with some kind of weird side slam.
Bob & Brad Armstrong are out now talking to Charlie Platt about Brad's trophy getting smashed up. Boy were these simpler times. We see the video and of course, Dennis Condrey & Randy Rose come out and smash up the trophy. We then go back to the desk and Bob Armstrong brags about how proud he is of Brad and then Rose & Condrey come back out to confront them at the desk. This leads to a challenge of Bob Armstrong and Randy Rose will be handcuffed to a corner while Brad and Dennis wrestle each other. Bob is not the smartest babyface. I'm sure either Mr. Saito or Ron Bass (who nearly killed him last week) will come out and give old Bullet Bob a beating.
We get the hype for Monday night's Birmingham, Alabama Boutwell Auditorium card which they are hyping as the first ever "Super Bowl of Wrestling": $15,000 Bounty Match: Ron Fuller verses Mystery Bounty Hunter managed by Jimmy Golden, Mr. Saito defends the NWA Southeastern heavyweight title against Mr. Wrestling II, NWA Southeastern tag team titles- Dennis Condrey & Randy Rose verses Mr. Olympia (Jerry Stubbs) & Ken Lucas, NWA Alabama title with Indian Strap Match Rules: Jimmy Golden verses Ray Candy, Stan Lane verses Brad Armstrong for the NWA U.S. Junior title, in a Southern Street Fight match Bob Armstrong verses Ron Bass, then in a "special added event" Dennis Condrey verses Bob Armstrong with Randy Rose and Brad Armstrong handcuffed to a corner.
Interviews with Stan Lane (who has recaptured the NWA U.S. Junior title apparently from Bill Dundee) & Ron Bass & Dennis Condrey & Randy Rose and Bob & Brad Armstrong.
Ron Fuller and Charlie Platt chat at the desk. Ron is claiming that Tommy Rich, Mr. Wrestling II, Ernie Ladd, and the "Masked Bounty Hunter from Up North" are all coming into area. Some or none of this may be true.
We go to the ring for our next match: Brad Armstrong verses The Raider. The Raider is a generic masked jobber. He might well be Ray Harris back out again for all I know. The match is just a showcase for NWA Rookie of the Year Brad Armstrong. Brad, of course, wins easily.
Interviews with Bob & Brad Armstrong & Ray Candy are next discussing the upcoming weeks house shows. What I gleaned from this interview is that Brad gets hurt a lot as Bullet Bob runs down a list of injuries that Brad has had in his first year in the business. Bob then switches gears to talking about Ron Bass and the heart punch being banned. Bullet Bob cuts a sweet promo.
We then go to another studio to get comments from Jimmy Golden, Ron Bass, Dennis Condrey & Randy Rose.
We now head up to the ring for our next match: Ron Bass verses Roy Lee Welch. Bass keeps trying to sneak in the heart punch but the crowd keeps telling on him. Bass is insistent upon using the heart punch and the referee catches him and Bass gets mad, shoves the referee, then throws Roy Lee Welch over the top rope. Your winner by DQ is Roy Lee Welch.
Ken Lucas & Mr. Olympia (Jerry Stubbs) now come out to the desk for a promo. We get to see video from one of the arenas of Lucas & Olympia against Dennis Condrey with Randy Rose having to set the match off due to injury but Rose slides in the ring and busts a board over Olympia's head and the match ends in a DQ. We also get comments from Dennis Condrey & Randy Rose.
We go back to the studio and Jimmy Golden & Mr. Saito come out to the desk. Golden is gloating about his $15,000 bounty on the head of Ron Fuller. We watch video from one of the arenas with Ron Fuller against Mr. Saito. Ray Candy is also at ringside as, obviously is Jimmy Golden.
We go to the ring for the television main event: Bill Dundee verses Mr. Saito. Just last week Bill Dundee was the NWA U.S. Junior champion having beaten Stan Lane for the belt but he has lost it back to Stan Lane somewhere. No mention of that. This is Bill Dundee's first time wrestling on Southeastern wrestling television. It's a tense back and forth match. Neither Saito nor Dundee are selling much. Ron Fuller comes out and attacks Jimmy Golden from behind and money goes flying everywhere. Saito sees this and bails out to help Golden pick his money back up and gets counted out.
Interview now with Jimmy Golden & Mr. Saito. It's basically just Golden making fun of Ray Candy for being fat. We get final comments from Ray Candy & Ron Fuller.
June 20, 1981 (Television Show): Charlie Platt & Ron Fuller host...Randy Rose defeated Ray Harris... NWA Rookie of the Year segment with Brad & Bob Armstrong. Dennis Condrey & Randy Rose smash the trophy... Interviews with Bob & Brad Armstrong and Stan Lane & Ron Bass & Dennis Condrey & Randy Rose...Ron Fuller interview... Brad Armstrong defeated The Raider... Interviews with Bob & Brad Armstrong & Ray Candy... Promos by Jimmy Golden & Ron Bass & Dennis Condrey & Randy Rose... Roy Lee Welch defeated Ron Bass via DQ... Mr. Olympia & Ken Lucas and Dennis Condrey & Randy Rose promos...Jimmy Golden & Mr. Saito interview... Bill Dundee defeated Mr. Saito by count out... Jimmy Golden & Mr. Saito promo... Ray Candy & Ron Fuller interview. (Referee: Bruce Soronson)
I hope you have found these results helpful. Please consider a small donation to our website to help us add even more content. Or, if you would like to support us on an even bigger basis plus get lots of exclusive extra content, please consider becoming a Patreon member! Thank you!
