Central States #12 Page #2

Kirby backs Jannetty up into the corner and Little Tokyo climbs to the second turnbuckle. Kirby punches Jannetty and Tokyo bites the forehead of Marty Jannetty. Kirby with a kneelift and Marty slumps in the corner. Roger Kirby puts the boots to Jannetty and Tokyo climbs down and bites Jannetty on the forehead again. Kirby uses his foot to choke Jannetty. Roger Kirby with a bodyslam and he goes for the pin. Cowboy Lang gets in the ring and grabs Kirby’s leg and pulls him off of Marty Jannetty! Jannetty stands up and it’s a slugfest in the middle of the ring that Jannetty gets the best of. Jannetty with a headlock takeover and he goes for the pin. Little Tokyo breaks up the pin attempt. Roger Kirby with an Irish Whip and Marty Jannetty leapfrogs over Kirby. Kirby turns around and Marty bounces off the ropes and he catches Jannetty with a Thesz Press for the three count as Cowboy Lang heads off Little Tokyo.  

On the episode of All Star Wrestling that was broadcast on April 29, 1984 and recorded on April 20th, Roger Kirby wrestled Tommy Rogers, one half of The Uptown Boys. Kirby had used a few illegal tactics in the first 10 minutes of the contest. At the 10 minute mark, Tommy Rogers caught Roger Kirby with several punches and Kirby went down and Rogers got a two count. Tommy with a headlock and a few punches. Kirby with an elbowsmash. Kirby put one foot on the bottom rope and jumped off and planted his boot on Tommy’s back, then Kirby connected with two more boots using the bottom rope as a springboard. Kirby throws Rogers outside. Rogers gets back on the apron and Kirby knocks him off of the ring apron to the hardwood floor. Kirby goes out after Rogers. Kirby rams Rogers head first into the Ring Post. Tommy’s face is a mask of blood. Kirby throws Rogers back in the ring over the top rope from the apron. Kirby with several punches to Tommy’s head, trying to open the cut up even wider. Rogers goes outside and gets a steel chair. He comes back in the ring and give Roger Kirby 14 chairshots to the head and body, and he give two chairshots to Referee Sonny Myers. Marty Jannetty comes into the ring and Tommy Rogers almost hits his own tag team partner with a steel chair until he manages to calm Tommy down. Tommy gets the microphone and says “Let me tell you something, Kirby. You started something you ain’t gonna be able to finish boy. I’m gonna tell you what, Kirby. Your day’s coming boy, you’re gonna pay!”   

Barry Windham was one of the top contenders to Ric Flair’s World Title in 1984, and on the episode of All Star Wrestling that was shown on May 20, 1984 (and recorded on May 10), Barry Windham wrestled Roger “Nature Boy” Kirby (Ric Flair was on the show as well, against Wahoo McDaniel). We joined the match in progress. Barry Windham with some punches on Kirby and a bodyslam and Barry Windham gets a two count. Kirby with a right hand and he rams Barry Windham into the turnbuckle and again and then Barry reverses it. Barry with an uppercut and he goes for the pin and gets another two count. Kirby with a kneelift and he comes off of the ropes with a shoulderblock. Kirby comes off the ropes again but Windham catches him with a hiptoss. Windham gives Kirby an Irish Whip and another hiptoss. Windham goes for the pin and gets a two count on the Nature Boy. Kirby with an eyerake and he chokes Windham on the ropes. Kirby with punches and a bodyslam for a one count. Windham with a forearm and they trade punches “like a couple of heavyweights slugging it out” according to Kevin Wall. Kirby with an Irish Whip and Kirby goes for a backdrop but Windham with a leapfrog and Windham comes off the ropes and catches Kirby with a clothesline. Barry Windham goes for the pin and wins the match.   

On the episode of All Star Wrestling that was broadcast on June 24, 1984 and taped on June 14, “Sharp Dressed Man” blares over the loudspeakers as The Uptown Boys, Marty Jannetty and Tommy Rogers make their way into the ring to face the team of Roger “Nature Boy” Kirby and Gary Young (not “Gorgeous” Gary Young). This Gary Young is from Houston and weighs 270 pounds. Tommy and Roger start off. Tommy with a punch and Kirby leaves the ring. He comes back in the ring and catches Rogers with a headlock. Rogers turned it into an armbar and Kirby used a handful of hair to turn it back into a headlock. Kirby makes the tag and Gary Young comes in the ring and Rogers gives him an armdrag. Rogers tags Jannetty and Jannetty with an armbar on Young. Rogers is tagged back in and he hits a legdrop on Young’s arm. Young makes the tag and Roger Kirby is caught with an armdrag and an armbar by Tommy Rogers. Kirby makes the tag, and Young gets an armdrag and armbar for his troubles as well. Rogers tags in Jannetty and Jannetty keeps the armbar on Young. He tags Rogers and Rogers hits another legdrop on Gary’s arm. Gary Young tags in Roger Kirby. Kirby and Rogers trade punches in the middle of the ring and Rogers tags Jannetty. Kirby with a kneedrop, an eyerake and several punches to Jannetty. Kirby catches Jannetty with a double axehandle. Jannetty tags in Rogers and eventually the heels are able to isolate Rogers and punish him for several minutes. Rogers makes the tag to Jannetty after a few minutes. All four men are in the ring at the same time. Jannetty with an Irish Whip on Gary Young and Gary Young comes off the ropes and Jannetty catches him with a Thesz Press for the three count.   Roger Kirby held the Central States Title at least 5 times between 1968 and 1982. He held the Central States tag team titles twice with Jerry Valiant as his tag team partner, once with Jerry Brown as his partner, and twice with Sheik Abdullah The Great as his partner. He also held the Central States Television Title twice. Roger Kirby held the North American Tag Team Title as recognized in The Central States area with Black Angus Campbell, Rock Hunter and Harley Race as partners in the early 1970’s. Roger Kirby sent me an e-mail in 1999, and he told me that he retired in 1985.

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