Thursday, February 04, 2021

Mid-Atlantic TV Report: May 21, 1983

Mid-Atlantic Wrestling on
the WWE Network

Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling
TV Summaries & Reviews
by David Taub
Mid-Atlantic Gateway Contributor

This is a review of Mid-Atlantic Wrestling as it appeared on the WWE Network. Results are included for the week (Monday-Sunday of the given week) as available. Please email with any corrections, typos, results, other details at 1davidtaub@gmail.com. Follow @TaubGVWire

For links to all available summaries as well as links to the Mid-Atlantic Championship Podcast, visit our TV Summary Index.


Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling
Original broadcast: 05/021/83
(taped 5/18/83 at WPCQ-TV studios in Charlotte)
WWE Network Direct Link to this show Mid-Atlantic 05/21/83
WWE Network feed. 

We are back with an episode on the Network. Bob Caudle, in his Augusta green jacket and black/green striped tie, introduces the show. He then throws to a clip.

[CLIP] Rufus R. Jones & Bugsy McGraw & Jimmy Valiant d. Great Kabuki & Magic Dragon & Gary Hart
We go to the finish in an unnamed arena (actually 5/15/83 in Charlotte). Caudle notes that Gary Hart is wearing his street clothes. Jones gets the win for his team by pinning Dragon with an elbow. Just prior, Bugsy tripped him from the outside.

-Int. w/Bob Caudle: Rufus R. Jones & Bugsy McGraw
Some brief comments from Rufus & Bugsy. They say it’s not over yet. Rufus is wearing an All Japan jacket.

[Break]

Match 1
Non-United States Heavyweight championship: Greg Valentine [ch.] d. Ken Hall

Caudle notes Valentine is calling himself "the greatest U.S. champ of all time." Ron West, in traditional black and white stripes, is the referee for the hour. Caudle mentions Dick Slater’s suspension for using the piledriver. Valentine is taking a page from Ole Anderson and continues to work on the left arm. He gets the submission with a wrenching arm bar.

-Int. w/Bob Caudle: Greg Valentine
Valentine says at least Ken Hall gave up. Caudle throws it to a special interview.

-Comments from Roddy Piper
Piper is at his home, with his left ear heavily bandaged. He speaks very low key. He talks about his 5/01/83 match that was stopped and he lost the U.S. title to Valentine. Piper said he is not a quitter. The camera pans out, and we see (presumably) his wife and daughter. [Note: Piper in May went on an All Japan wrestling tour. Prior to leaving for Japan, Piper wrestled a few shots for Don Owens in the Pacific Northwest, facing Ric Flair 5/10/83 in Portland and 5/11/83 in Seattle.]

Back to Caudle and Valentine. The Hammer says the NWA saved Piper's life. He’s doing fine. He bought a new car. But, Piper isn’t a man. He can’t even go to the store to buy food for his babe. More insults to Piper’s manhood. Caudle brings up when Valentine broke Wahoo McDaniel’s leg. Which leads to…

[TAPE] From the AWA: Mean Gene Okerlund: Wahoo McDaniel
Obviously, this tape is sent in from the AWA. Wahoo talks about Valentine continuing to brag about injuring him. Wahoo says he’s going to the gym, and he rarely goes to the gym. Wahoo is returning to Mid-Atlantic soon.

[Break]

[CLIP] One Man Gang & Kelly Kiniski d. Rick McCord & Vinnie Valentino
Sir Oliver Humperdink provides narration along with Caudle for the match. Once again, we are 5/15/83 in Charlotte. Gang scores the win by splashing Valentino twice.
We are now in the ring. Caudle speaks to Humperdink, who is back to wearing a suit and tie. We are resuming the body slam challenge, now at $7,500. Ken Timbs tries twice. No chance. This time Gang pounds Timbs back. Humperdink hands OMG a pair of scissors, and Gang collects some locks of hair.

-Int. w/Bob Caudle: Sir Oliver Humperdink and One Man Gang
This is in lieu of local interviews. Humperdink talks about how no one is able to slam Gang. Not even the Giant. Not Dusty Rhodes or Barry Windham.

[Break]

[CLIP] World Wide Wrestling; Jack & Jerry Brisco vs. Steamboat & Youngblood 
-Int. w/Bob Caudle: Jack Brisco & Jerry Brisco
We go to the Steamboat & Youngblood vs. Briscos match from World Wide (and also seen on Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling) last week. Jack splashes Steamboat’s legs while locked in a Figure Four. Jack says he was just saving his brother from a double team.

Jim Nelson comes out and calls out Jack Brisco. He calls him a coward. A few shoves, and the action goes into the ring. An impromptu match.

Match 2
Jack Brisco NC Jim Nelson

A short brawl. Jack locks Nelson in the Figure Four. Jerry comes of the top rope and splashes Nelson’s knees. The match is over. Jack reapplies the Figure Four. Johnny Weaver (still wearing a neck brace), Mike Rotundo, Rufus R. Jones and Jimmy Valiant come in. The Briscos leave, rejoining Caudle.
Weaver confronts the Briscos. He can’t believe the Briscos would stoop so low. Weaver returns to the ring to check on Nelson. Valiant now confronts the Briscos. He gets a punch to the gut and a double body slam. Valiant sells only like Jimmy Valiant can sell, convulsing, and knocking over the podium.

[Break]

-Int. w/Bob Caudle: Great Kabuki, Magic Dragon, and Gary Hart
Caudle asks Hart when will his team be champions. Hart says as soon as someone has the guts to face them. Hart then shows Caudle an injunction to prevent Jimmy Valiant from wearing goggles. It’s for safety because glass is dangerous. 

[VIDEO] We then go to a video of Kabuki training in a temple. Good video. Wonder where it originally came from?

[Break]

[TAPE] Pre-recorded in WPCQ Studios: Comments from Dick Slater
Slater, wearing a Hawaiian shirt and looking like Magnificent Muraco, says it was unjust to be suspended. But, he will be back and look for revenge.

Match 3
Non-NWA TV championship: Jos LeDuc [ch.] d. Rick Connor

Johnny Weaver joins Caudle on commentary. He talks briefly about Slater and the Briscos. Connor tries to get some licks in. That just angers LeDuc, who fires back hard. He pounds the ropes and finishes up Connor with the backbreaker.

-Int. w/Bob Caudle: Paul Jones
This is in lieu of local promos. Caudle is gushing over Jones’ tuxedo. Jones is blushing. He says he wears the fancy clothes because he is above everyone else. He puts over his team of Dory Funk, Jr. & Jake Roberts.

[Break]

Match 4
Dory Funk, Jr. & Jake Roberts (w/Paul Jones) d. Keith Larson & Masa Fuchi

Funk is wearing the now rarely-defended Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight championship. Caudle mentions Wahoo McDaniel coming back, as well as Bob Orton, Jr. Jones joins Caudle on commentary. Says his men depend on him. Just earlier, he said they rarely need his advice. Jones babbles on about not revealing his strategy. Dory holds Larson in surfboard as Roberts hits him with the kneelift. Roberts then finishes Larson with the still-unnamed DDT.

-Int. w/Bob Caudle: Jake Roberts & Dory Funk, Jr. & Paul Jones
Jones says people will change their “idears” about him. He says fans always ask him for pictures of him and his tuxedo. He says that costs too much time and money. So, he is holding a contest. The winner gets a large poster of him. It’s the Paul Jones Dream Contest. 25 words or less. The address (JCP’s headquarters on Briarbend Drive) is blurred out on the screen, as part of the Network edit. Even Bob can enter. Jake says he will enter the contest too. Jones calls it “Christmas in May!” Roberts & Funk have so much compassion. If they saw a dog injured on the road, they would run over it to put it out of its misery.
Caudle wraps things up. 

“So long for now!”

*******************

Results for the week, 5/16/83-5/22/83 
(source: Clawmaster’s Archive via Sports and Wrestling blog posted by David Baker; “Wrestling” newsletter by Joe Shedlock)

Mon., 5/16/83 Greenville, SC; Memorial Auditorium
Kelly Kiniski beat Vinnie Valentino
Rufus R. Jones beat Magic Dragon
Jimmy Valiant beat Great Kabuki
Greg Valentine beat Dory Funk, Jr.
Jos LeDuc beat One Man Gang

Tue., 5/17/83 Raleigh, NC; Raleigh Civic Center
Rick McCord beat Masa Fuchi
Mike Rotundo beat Gene Anderson
Jimmy Valiant & Bugsy McGraw beat Great Kabuki & Magic Dragon
Rufus R. Jones beat Jake Roberts by DQ
Greg Valentine beat Dory Funk, Jr.

Tue., 5/17/83 Columbia, SC; Township Auditorium
Jack Brisco & Jerry Brisco beat Jay Youngblood & Ricky Steamboat by DQ
Jos Leduc & Johnny Weaver beat One Man Gang & Oliver Humperdink
Kelly Kiniski beat Vinnie Valentino
Bill White beat Abe Jacobs
Keith Larson beat Ricky Harris
Ken Timbs beat Ken Hall

Wed., 5/18/83 Charlotte, NC; WPCQ-TV studio
Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling:
Greg Valentine beat Ken Hall
One Man Gang & Kelly Kiniski beat Rick McCord & Vinnie Valentino
Jim Nelson beat Jack Brisco by DQ
Jos LeDuc beat Rick Connors
Jake Roberts & Dory Funk, Jr. beat Keith Larson & Masa Fuchi 

Thu., 5/19/83 Sumter, SC; Exhibition Center
Vinnie Valentino d. Ken Timbs
Johnny Weaver d. Masa Fuchi
Jos LeDuc d. Snake Brown [Brown sub for Ron Cheatham]
Jack Brisco & Jerry Brisco d. One Man Gang & Kelly Kiniski
Jimmy Valiant & Bugsy McGraw d. Great Kabuki & Magic Dragon 

Fri., 5/20/83 Charleston, SC; County Hall
Jack Brisco & Jerry Brisco beat Ricky Steamboat & Jay Youngblood by DQ
Dory Funk, Jr. beat Jack Brown
Jake Roberts beat Rick Connors
Ricky Harris beat Ken Hall
Vinnie Valentino beat Red Dog Lane

Sat., 5/21/83 Spartanburg, SC; Memorial Auditorium
Dory Funk, Jr. beat Mike Rotundo
Bugsy McGraw beat One Man Gang via pinfall
Johnny Weaver & Rick McCord beat Kelly Kiniski & Snake Brown (Brown sub for Ron Cheatham)
Liz Chase beat Peggy Lee (Lee sub for Terri Shane)
Abe Jacobs beat Ricky Harris
Ken Timbs beat Ben Alexander

Sat., 5/21/83 Greensboro, NC; Greensboro Coliseum
Keith Larson beat Masa Fuchi
Bill White beat Ken Hall [Hall sub for Mark FLeming]
Gene Anderson & Magic Dragon beat Rick Connor & Vinnie Valentino [Connor sub for Wayne Jones]
Johnny Weaver beat Ricky Harris
Rufus R. Jones beat Jake Roberts
Valiant gets Gary Hart if he wins: Great Kabuki beat Jimmy Valiant
Greg Valentine beat Jos LeDuc
Jack Brisco & Jerry Brisco beat Ricky Steamboat & Jay Youngblood by DQ

Sun., 5/22/83 Roanoke, VA; Civic Center
Ricky Steamboat & Jay Youngblood beat Jack Brisco & Jerry Brisco
Rufus R. Jones beat Gene Anderson
Bob Orton, Jr. beat Masa Fuchi
Abe Jacobs beat Kenny Hall
Wahoo McDaniel, Jimmy Valiant & Bugsy McGraw beat Great Kabuki, Magic Dragon & Gary Hart