Magnum T.A. vs. Mr. Wrestling 2:  As the Dog-Reed feud was winding down, JYD lost the North American title to Mr. Wrestling 2.  And, as Max Levy so excellently describes in his current Mid-South article detailing the T.A./2 feud, Magnum won the North American title from 2 on Mother’s Day (May 13) 1984, exactly 17 years to the day this Mother’s Day in Tulsa.  The two had a rematch in the early summer in Houston, and despite the oil crunch that Houston was experiencing, sold out the Coliseum.  T.A. defeated 2, and later would defeat 2’s protégé, the new Mr. Wrestling 2 (Ray “Hercules” Hernandez) at the Coliseum as well.  The night was memorable because the fans were so rabid for T.A., and were so very against longtime favorite Mr. Wrestling 2.

The Rock ‘n’ Roll Express vs. The Midnight Express:  These two teams set Mid-South on fire in 1984, and when they came to Houston to main event the Coliseum, there was a turn away crowd.  Ricky Morton and Robert Gibson were so popular in Houston that they had to have bodyguards accompany them to ringside for fear of being mobbed.  Cornette’s interference led to a disqualification that night, but the two teams would meet up again at the Coliseum under different circumstances (see Next Month).

Ric Flair vs. Terry Taylor:  It was the summer of 1985, right before Taylor’s venture into the Mid-Atlantic/Georgia area where he would win the National title.  Taylor was the North American champion via his victory over Ted DiBiase, and was granted a NWA title shot against Flair.  Flair rarely made appearances at the Coliseum, so this was special.  Flair and Taylor wrestled a classic match, which saw Taylor’s stock rise considerably, even though he lost by pinfall.  The Coliseum crowd was solidly behind Taylor, but Flair still had his cheers; even in Houston.

Nick Bockwinkel vs. Mil Mascaras:  As I stated last month, the Houston area was unique in that it had “world champions” from many different federations.  AWA champion Nick Bockwinkel made numerous defenses in Houston, including one legendary one against popular Mil Mascaras.  Mascaras was very popular in Houston, given as Houston had/has a large Hispanic population.  Thousands turned out to see Mascaras seemingly win the title, only to have it returned to Bockwinkel on a technicality.  It would be the last time we would see Nick Bockwinkel in Houston for nearly three years. 

Hacksaw Jim Duggan vs. Khrusher Khruschev:  Coal Miner’s Glove Match.  Of course you all know Khruschev better as Blacktop Bully, or Smash from Demolition.  But before all of that, Barry Darsow was known as Crusher Darsow from Thief River Falls, Minnesota.  He was a green kid, who was growing up in the business in the Mid-South area.  There, he “fell under the influence” of Nikolai Volkoff, which raised the ire of one Jim Duggan.  Duggan and Volkoff/Khruschev had a torrid feud in Mid-South during 1984 the year the Soviet Union boycotted the Olympic games.  The newly turned Russian sympathizer and the patriotic American hooked it up at the Coliseum in a Coal Miner’s Glove match that had over 8,000 fans screaming USA the entire match.  Duggan walked away victorious, but beaten in the post match from the two.  This feud was taking place during the height of the Star Wars, “Kill a Commie For Mommy” phase of American life, and tore down the house in Houston.

Last but not least…….

UWF Title Tournament:  With names including Ted DiBiase, Steve Williams, Michael Hayes, Terry Gordy, and the aforementioned Hacksaw Duggan, the inaugural UWF title tournament was met with great anticipation from fans in Houston.  The show sold out the Coliseum in no time, and was historic as Terry Gordy took the title and became the first UWF champion.  Also, the booking of Bill Watts was superb, as he immediately set up the Freebirds as the dominant heel force, with Skandor Akbar’s Devastation Inc. coming in a close second.  The sight of Duggan’s head being rammed into a bolt in the ringpost from One Man Gang was replayed dozens of times on Houston television to set up the big rematch everyone wanted between Duggan and Gang. 

NEXT MONTH:  

My first Houston Wrestling Card.