The Straight Talk Express: Mid South Disc #3
As I mentioned earlier, disc 3 was a bit of a mixed bag. It had my favorite match and my least favorite match, with varying degrees of quality in between.

Ted DiBiase vs. Hacksaw Duggan (No DQ, Loser Leaves Town, Coal Miner's Glove on a Poll, Tuxedo, Cage match) (3/22/85) - I'm sure you're reading all that and saying "Really? That's a lot of stipulations." And it is. But each one is set up beautifully. They even included the recap on the DVD leading up to the match and it is an amazing story. Come on, it begins with a Best Dressed competition! That's why I love professional wrestling. Just an amazing brawl that ends with the sweetest punch you ever saw. I don't even want to go into the whole deal. You should just go watch this match, right now. I'll wait. My new #1.

Ted DiBiase vs. Jim Duggan (No DQ) (3/8/85) - As the lead in to the big match, I thought this one had a chance of being even better. I mean, it begins with DiBiase getting a clarification from the ref on the rules ("Anything goes, right), then, BAM, he throws powder into Duggan's face. Duggan bleeds buckets before his incredibly fiery comeback, only to lose to the foreign object provided by Dr. Death. Then I actually watched the big match and it was even better. Still my new #2, though.

The Fantastics vs. Dr. Death & Jake Roberts (4/14/85) - I loved this match. I was so impressed with how smartly this match was wrestled by all four men. Loved the mirroring section in the beginning and, with so many matches doing the contrived setup (face in peril in bearhug walking towards his corner only to have the ref miss the hot tag, repeat at least twice), it was refreshing to see a face in peril section without any repetition. Each hot tag breakup was different and unique. The finish was fantastic, with some perfectly timed heel miscommunication, an amazing hot tag, and a brutal DDT to finish. I've yet to find a Midnights or Rock 'n' Rolls match that impressed me nearly as much. The trash talk also bumped it up a level. Not to mention Fulton's exasperated "SHIT" in the early going.

Kevin Von Erich vs. Chris Adams (1/18/85) - Now, here's a match I probably love too much. But I can't help myself. Just a vicious brawl with three of the sweetest superkicks I've seen in my life.

Ric Flair vs. Terry Taylor (4/28/85) - These Ric Flair matches are hard to rate. They are often technically perfect, but can't match the fire and intensity of something much shorter, like Adams/Von Erich brawl. I think I'm just going to have to go with the match that I enjoyed more and not the match that might be "better" on an aesthetic level. The armwork at the beginning dragged a little for me, even if the last twenty minutes or so were pretty heated. I did love how Flair opened the ropes for Taylor in a gentlemanly fashion, then gave him some chops right across the chest.

Brad Armstrong vs. Ted DiBiase (1/16/85) - A fun little TV match. I do love Brad Armstrong and he takes DiBiase to the limit here until, of course, Ted cheats to win. I love some of these studio matches...they get so much across in so little time.

Rock N Roll Express vs. Chavo & Hector Guerrero (2/13/85) - Actually a fun tag match, if a little short. Extra points for the Guerrreros coming to the ring carrying the Mexican flag and wearing sombreros as well as the amazing finish. Here, I'll spoil it for you: the Guerreros have Ricky (I think) up in a double Gory Special and Robert dives under Ricky to pin them both! Must be seen to be believed.

Buddy Landel, Chavo & Hector Guerrero vs. Rock N Roll Express & Jose Lothario (1/18/85) - A fun six-man, but nothing too memorable. Much better organized than the earlier six-man (which is down below) but not spectacular.

Rock N Roll Express vs. Midnight Express (1/21/85) - I wish I could figure out why all these Midnight Express vs. Rock N Rolls matches don't do anything for me. They just never seem to kick it into a higher gear. I mean, they're perfectly fine, but I want more every time I watch one.

Rock N Roll Express vs. Dirty White Boys (4/15/85) - Just your average Rock and Roll match. Dirty White Boys are fun brawlers, but this match is absolutely average.

Rock N Roll Express & Butch Reed vs. Dr. Death, Kamala & One Man Gang (2/25/85) - There was a lot of neat stuff in here, like Kamala having no idea how a tag match works, but it never came together into a coherent match. It was just one long heat segment and then the finish (which the camera missed, by the way.)

Ted DiBiase vs. Brad Armstrong (2/10/85) - This felt like a repeat of the match, except the armwork and headlock sections went twice as long. Longer doesn't necessarily mean better. I don't have it last, but everything below it is either a mess or even more pedestrian and boring (see Bockwinkel vs. Rhodes).

Ted DiBiase & Dr. Death vs. Hacksaw Duggan & Terry Gordy (Texas Tornado Match) (1/21/85) - I was really expecting this to be mind blowing. Instead, they just kind of punched each other and the match was over. In the arena, I'm sure I would have lost my mind, but on tape, it's just average.

Buddy Landel, Chavo & Hector Guerrero vs. Brickhouse Brown, Bill Dundee & Jose Lothario (Elimination Match) (11/16/84) - This was just too sloppy for my tastes. Seemed like a bunch of missed spots and clumsy execution. Jose Lothario's punches are nowhere near Bill Watts'. The finish was fun, though.

Ernie Ladd & Butch Reed vs. Magnum T.A. & Master G (Street Fight) (11/4/84) - These tag team street fights just pale in comparison to some of the high end stuff on these discs. They never match up favorably with the brawls and they lack the wonderful layout of the best tag team stuff. As a result, they suffer in my rankings.

Adrian Street vs. Terry Taylor (Loser Leaves Town) (12/7/84) - I was really unimpressed with this match. I loved Adrian Street in the last match I saw with him, but Terry Taylor did nothing here. Even Street looked unmotivated. Just a misfire.

Rock N Roll Express vs. Midnight Express (Scaffold Match) (12/2/84) - It's a scaffold match, which, by definition, sucks. There's simply not much you can do fifteen feet in the air on a little metal platform. This is probably the best scaffold match ever, with lots of cool embellishments (like Ricky Morton scrambling through the legs of Condrey and Gibson to get to Beautiful Bobby) but it's still a scaffold match.

Disc 4 has about six Flair matches on it, which are all about 30 minutes, so it might take a while to get through.
Travis