THE SLAP 

Immediately after the second showing of the incident, Cornette was ranting and raving about the Irish McNeil Boys Club, stating that he was going to sue everyone.  Watts confronted him, saying in effect “don’t sue them, sue me.”  The confrontation quickly escalated until Watts had been provoked past the line.  Watts slapped Cornette, and it was like a shotgun blast went off.  Part one of the angle had been executed perfectly.

As the next week of Mid-South programming commenced, Jim Cornette started out at the guest host.  Apparently, something had happened to Bill Watts.  In an earlier part of the TV taping, before they “went on the air,” Watts was conducting some interviews, first with Terry Taylor, then with lead area heel Butch Reed  (Remember that fact…that Reed was the #1 heel…although Wrestling II was not trailing by much).  During  the Reed promo, Cornette again confronted Watts…  and the Midnights struck.  Their attack was gruesome, fierce, and violent.  The end result was Watts left laying….and Reed walking off stating how he would not even stoop so low.  For a while, Reed transferred his heel status to the new number one heel…Jim Cornette. 

The stage was set for a showdown that could only end badly for one entity. 

Mid-Late March 1984

Playx2:

LOOKING FOR A FRIEND

Soon after, a video was shown of Watts going to Wadesboro, North Carolina.  Long time fans would recognize that town as the boyhood home of legend Junkyard Dog.  Ordinarily, Watts would have teamed with JYD to take care of the Express problem.  However, JYD had lost a loser leaves town match when he dropped the North American strap to Wrestling II.  But….JYD had a friend.  JYD could not guarantee that his “friend” could or would help Watts….but he would try and find out.

Enter Stagger Lee.  Much like Dusty Rhodes’ “Midnight Rider” alter ego, Stagger Lee was the man who was so bad, that he would beat up JYD for his milk money.  Now, everyone knew who was behind the mask…much like the Midnight Rider…but the bad guys could never quite prove it.  Since JYD was wrestling “elsewhere,” (making tours of Georgia, Mid-Atlantic, Memphis, etc.) Watts needed the next best thing.  He needed Stagger Lee.

Watts then made the challenge.  He and Lee vs. The Midnight Express.  If Cornette’s team won, then Cornette could gain control of Mid-South for a time.  If Watts and Lee won…Cornette would have to wear a dress and suck on a pacifier like a baby.  Watts admitted that he wasn’t his old self….but he could come out of retirement….for one “Last Stampede.” 

Fans across Mid-South ate the entire angle up like Thanksgiving dinner.  Sellouts across the territory were of the order.  Houston was no different… or was it?

April 1984

It was a night filled with electricity… and fans.  The Sam Houston Coliseum was sold out to the tune of 12,000 plus with thousands more turned away at the gate. They were there to see Cornette receive his comeuppance.  While sellouts at the Coliseum were not uncommon… Houston fans had not seen Bill Watts wrestle for them regularly.  The angle was so captivating that Houston fans just “had (to pay) to see” what was going to happen. 

The match started tentatively, and Watts would receive fleeting moments of domination before becoming the face in peril during the match.  Watts, at the time weighing at least 275 pounds, made the much smaller Midnight Express look legitimate in the eyes of Houston fans by selling expertly for them, making their offense look like the real thing.  Unlike today, where many larger wrestlers flat won’t sell or cooperate with smaller ones, Watts did both… with great timing, and great results.  Fans nearly came unglued more than once as Watts and Lee both escaped pin attempts.

Finally, the match came to the conclusion All four men were in the ring, when Bobby Eaton attempted to blind Bill Watts with illegal powder.  Just before he was to do so, Stagger Lee made the save and kicked the powder into Eaton’s face.  Watts had just enough strength to attempt and deliver his “Oklahoma Stampede” on Eaton.  The referee counted…and the Sam Houston Coliseum faithful counted along…

1………     2……..

THREE!!!

With the slapping of the hand to the mat for the third time, the Sam Houston Coliseum exploded.  The pop was deafening.  Faces ran out of the dressing room both to congratulate Watts and Stagger, and to hold Cornette accountable to put his dress and baby clothes on.  The Last Stampede had ended… and the fans were supremely satisfied. 

Fast Forward:

Sadly, this feud was one of the “last” huge money drawing feuds involving Junkyard Dog and Mid-South Wrestling.  While his feud with Butch Reed would lead to another 20,000 plus crowd at the New Orleans Superdome two months later, Dog was on his way out of Mid-South for the World Wrestling Federation.  And, after the “Last Stampede,” Watts went back into retirement, his feud with Cornette brief and sudden. However, the Midnights and Cornette were still the tag team champions.  Even though the fans had received their wish of seeing Cornette humiliated, he was just starting to get comfortable with the fans of Houston…and Mid-South.  Cornette and his men would have much more to do with Mid-South history before their stay was through. 

Even though this article came after the Rock-n-Roll vs. Midnights feud, the beginnings of the feud trace all the way back to the “cake” incident.  So, even though their feud was overshadowed momentarily by the Last Stampede, one can trace back to the origins of the Last Stampede to find the beginnings of the Mid-South tag team feud of the year. 

NEXT MONTH:  

We take a look at wrestlers who have gone from “rags to riches” as “Jobber Appreciation” Month comes to Houston.

Special thanks to wrestling-titles.com and Mid-South columnist Scott Williams for their background help on this edition of Kayfabe Houston.