SUMMARY: RUNNING TIME: 14 Min.
Filmed by Mid-South Wrestling (later known as the UWF — Universal Wrestling Federation), the match occurs on March 22, 1985, in Houston, Texas, at the Sam Houston Coliseum. The loaded-up stipulations are: it’s a coal miner’s glove, tuxedo (where the wrestlers rip each other’s tuxedos off) steel cage match where the loser gets out of town, or more likely, a vacation, for thirty days. As perennial rivals/ex-friends, “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan (in a white tux) faces off vs. “The Big Cheese” Ted DiBiase (in a black tux). It’s left to announcer Jim Ross to call the shots (literally) at ringside. The match appears on the WWE’s 2013 Legends of Mid-South Wrestling DVD and Blu-Ray sets.
Note: In 1987, both Duggan and DiBiase separately left the UWF for WWE to enjoy the biggest runs in their prospective careers.
REVIEW:
If there’s an everything-but-the-kitchen sink-style match in pro wrestling, then this one likely has it. Ironically, the only cartoony aspect of this slugfest is its outrageous rules. What viewers actually get is a somewhat bloody, knockdown brawl in a cheapo steel cage seemingly made out of playground monkey bars. The macho action is fairly good (minus watching two guys stripping each other) — but there’s no mistaking that neither Duggan nor DiBiase (at the time, saddled with an unimaginative nickname) were allowed to play up much, if any, charisma. Case in point: compare this showdown to their glitzy WrestleMania IV bout from March 1988 — DiBiase & Duggan’s formulaic wrestling there is okay, but their exaggerated in-ring personas are genuinely entertaining.
Still, for fans of these wrestling icons, the nostalgia of seeing them in their pre-WWE prime makes this bout worth watching. Maybe this gritty skirmish isn’t meant for repetitive viewing, but the stipulations alone are a hoot.
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 6 Stars
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