Tag Team Nostalgia by "G" by GFlm@aol.com A mixed tag match from the fifties Responses welcome It had been several weeks since I had spoken to Gordon Solie. I was still excited about the stories he had told me. Sitting at my desk writing about what he told me I was surprised by the phone ringing. " G, its Gordon" there was no mistaking the voice on the other end. " You remember the Thesz vs. Buyer's match I told you about". As if I could forget. " Well you know that there were several more matches I did on the radio like that back in the fifties". I was stunned I had always believed that mixed wrestling was a product of the nineties; you know equality of the sexes and all. " If you got the time I'd love t tell you about them". Like I was going to do any thing other that listen to every thing he wanted to tell me. " Yea Gordon I got some time now". "I'm in Detroit doing a broadcast and the co-main event is a tag match. The promoter got such a response from the Thesz- Buyer's match that he tells several others promoters to give it a try. Well the guy in Detroit decides to do just that. The match has Nell Stewart and Mary Jane Mull wrestling Tex McKenzie and his partner Art Neilson. McKenzie and Neilson are the North American Tag Team Champions. Mull and Stewart are just about the two best-looking lady wrestlers in the sport both knockout gorgeous and mean as hell. McKenzie and Neilson are what today we would call Cruiserweights maybe 175/180 lbs slim very athletic. They come to the ring in white satin trunks; Neilson wears white boots McKenzie has thesis white cowboy boots and very fancy ring jackets. They each have on their championship belts. When ever they wrestle there are lots of great looking women in the crowd. Mull and Stewart make their entrance wearing light blue satin tights, white boots and long flowing robes. The introductions are made and the two out of three falls match begins. Mull and McKenzie leave their corners and begin to circle each other. They lock up collar and elbow pushing and twisting looking for an opening. Mull slides out and to the side trapping Tex's arm in a top wristlock. Tex is one his toes as Mary Jane pours on the pressure. Slowly she drives him down to one knee. Tex cries out I pain as his arm is bent. With a tremendous effort McKenzie is able to rise from the mat. Pushing against his own wrist the tag team champion is slowly able to take the pressure off his arm. Twisting and turning from side to side he is able to escape the writs lock and ducking under her arm get Mary Jane in a hammerlock. Now it is Mull's turn to cry out. She is on her toes hopping from one foot to the other. She grabs her shoulder trying to ease the pain. Wiggling back and forth side to side she reaches out to tag her partner Nell Stewart. Nell stretches for the tag but it is just to far. Tex stretches out her arm in a wringer and whips her to the ropes. Mary Jane flies back at him ducking and springing up in a back flip Tex launches her high in the air. Mull crashes to the mat on her back. Tex dashes to his corner and tags in Art Neilson. The other half of the tag team champions waists no time. Grabbing his opponent by the hair he pulls her to her feet. Taking her by the head and tights he lifts and slams her to the mat. Mary Jane Mull crashes to the canvas in a powerful body slam after bouncing twice she arches her back holding her injured spine. Neilson pulls a dazed Mary Jane to her feet twisting her arm he sends her flying into his own corner. She crashes into the corner her lower back smashing into Tex McKenzie's knee. Mull drops to her knees and topples over landing face down on the mat. Art pulls her up scoops and slams her to the mat. Making the tag McKenzie climbs to the top rope and drives a flying knee drop onto Mary Jane's injured back. Mull seams helpless as she tries to crawl toward her corner. Half way to her corner Mary Jane is pulled back by her boots. McKenzie again pulls her up hooking her head grabbing her tights she is suplexed over on her back. Quickly on his feet Tex leaps on the downed Mary Jane in a cross body press. Hooking her head he rolls her into a pin. " ONE - TWO" the ref slaps the mat before Nell Stewart's white boot crashes into the back of Tex McKenzie's head. Momentarily stunned Tex is not able to stop Stewart from dragging Mary Jane back to their corner and making the tag. Nell Stewart is on him in a flash, stomping his back, kicking his side, smashing her boot to the back of his head. Nell pulls Tex to his feet, driving a fist into his belly doubles him over a knee to his chin sends him crashing to the mat on his back. It is now the tag team champion Tex McKenzie who finds himself fighting not to be pinned. " ONE - TWO" as McKenzie just kicks out. Stewart is on fire as she whips Tex from one turnbuckle to the other. She pummels him with forearms and closed fists. The Texas cowboy is dazed and groggy as he is thrown about the ring. He is confused as he looks around for his corner and the tag. Nell has tagged out and Mary Jane Mull is in the ring. Tex fairs no better against her. Unable to make a tag his arms and legs are twisted and bent. The champion cries out as Mary Jane clamps one hold after another on him. Dragging him to her corner by his hand tooled white cowboy boots Tex is lifted up his arms draped over the top rope. With Nell holding him in place by his white satin trunks and the hair Tex is punched, kicked and smashed by Mull. Art Neilson tries to help his partner several times but each time is driven back by the ref. Finely Nell releases his trunks and Mary Jane steps back. Tex McKenzie takes two wobbly steps out of the corner and collapses to the canvas. A quick tag and Nell Stewart enters the ring. Grabbing Tex by his cowboy boots she spins him around and drags him to center ring. Tucking his boots under her arms flipping him face down she steps over him and locks a Boston Crab on the tag team champion. Badly battered Tex McKenzie waists no time submitting to his female opponent. " I GIVE UP - I GIVE UP - BREAK THE HOLD PLEASE - I SUBMIT - I SUBMIT ". The first fall is over. Art Neilson rushes to his defeated partner it takes almost the full two-minuet rest period for him to get Tex to his feet and ready to wrestle again. The bell sounds and a still dazed and groggy Tex McKenzie will try to wrestle a fresh and ready Nell Stewart. This fall starts no better for Tex as Nell pummels, kicks, slams, whips and throws him all over the ring. The humiliated tag team champion seams all most helpless against this female wrestler. After several more minuets of punishment the champions get a break as McKenzie is mistakenly whipped into his own corner. The tag made Art Neilson leaps over the top rope to face Nell Stewart. The next ten minuets see Neilson and Stewart then Neilson and Mull wrestle a back and forth match. With Tex McKenzie lying on the ring apron barely conscious Art Neilson has wrestled alone. Tagging in and out Nell and Mary Jane have stayed fresh, as Art has tired. After five more minuets it is obvious that Neilson is almost finished. He and Stewart have traded several body slams. Each time he has been slammed by her it gets harder to get back to his feet. In desperation as she again goes to slam him he hooks her leg and head and flips Nell on her back in a small package. Nell is desperately trying to escape the pinning hold kicking her legs franticly. The ref leaps into position before Mary Jane Mull can help her trapped partner and slaps the mat " ONE - TWO - THREE". The second fall is over and the match is even at one fall each. Even though Art Neilson has won the second fall he and his partner Tex McKenzie have taken a beating from Nell Stewart and Mary Jane Mull. Neilson sits on the middle turnbuckle his arms draped over the top rope gasping for breath. McKenzie is on his knees on the ring apron also breathing heavily. To the crowd as well as their opponents they look like any thing but champions. The ref asks them if they wish to continue or would they like to concede the match. They both answer that they will wrestle the third fall. The two-minuet rest between falls is not nearly long enough for Art and Tex to recuperate. The bell rings and Art Neilson rises off the turnbuckle and slowly moves out to face Neil Stewart. Neil quickly attacks her weakened opponent. Taking Art's wrist she twists his arm up behind him in a hammerlock. He yells in pain as his arm is bent. Reaching around and grabbing his chin Nell now has him in a cross face and hammerlock. Art twists and turns trying to get free. He stretches as far as he can toward his corner for a tag, only to find Tex McKenzie still on his knees. Tex reaches through the second rope in a hopeless but brave attempt to tag his partner. Nell drags the trapped tag team champion to her corner while maintaining her hold on him. Mary Jane Mull begins to rain forearms on Neilson from outside the ropes. Mary Jane and Nell tag in and out while keeping Art trapped in their corner. Knees, fists, forearms and boots crash into Neilson over and over. Tex McKenzie has finally gotten to his feet, and enters the ring to help his partner. Ducking through the rope and taking two steps toward the other corner Tex's chest and chin collide with the bottoms of Neil Stewart's boots. A tremendous drop kick sends Tex McKenzie flying backward up and over the top rope on to the arena floor. Nell slides under the bottom rope following Tex out of the ring. Pulling him up by the hair she scoops him up and slams him on to the concrete floor. Pulling him to his feet again she whips Tex into the steel ring post. As Nell batters and beats Tex McKenzie on the outside of the ring, Mary Jane Mull has continued her thrashing of Art Neilson inside the ring. After monkey flipping him out of the corner she has stomped and kicked him over and over. Pulling him to his feet she has whipped him from one side of the ring to the other. Each time he flies back at her a knee, a fist, or a boot smashes into him. Nell has tossed Tex McKenzie back into the ring as Mary Jane pulls Art to his feet. Taking their arms and twisting them Mary Jane and Nell whip Art and Tex into the center of the ring where they smash into each other. Both male wrestlers fall to the mat in a heap. The woman again drag their male opponents to their feet and send them crashing into one another. The ref has tried many times to restore order to the match but it has become a free for all. Nell and Mary Jane each take one of the male wrestlers drive him back on to the ropes and continue to pound on them. A semi-conscious Tex McKenzie slides down the ropes his arms hooking over the top strand. Nell Stewart pulls up and over on the middle rope leaving Tex trapped and hanging. She quickly turns to her partner and each of them grabs one of Art Neilson's arms. Ducking under and twisting they have him trapped in a double standing wristlock. Art sinks to his knees as the two women wrestlers twist and jerk his arms. Back on his feet Art is doubled over at the waist as the girls continue to wrench his arms and shoulders. The two female wrestlers each grab a handful of Neilson's white satin trunks pulling up they drive him head first into Tex McKenzie who remains trapped and hanging in the ropes. Tex groans as his head snaps back and his body quivers. McKenzie is all but finished. The two women pull Art back to center ring still holding him by the trunks they hook his head and double suplex him. Art Neilson has joined Tex McKenzie in a state of semi- consciousness. He is flat on his back in the center of the ring. All either of the lady wrestlers has to do to win the fall, the match and the tag team championship is to place a hand or a foot on Neilson and he will be pinned. To the surprise of all the fans in the arena neither of the girls tries to make the pin. They again pull a helpless Art Neilson to his feet. Taking his trunks in their hands they drag him backward to the ropes. Draping his arms and shoulders over the top rope they pull up and over on the middle rope trapping him just like his partner. The crowd is amazed to see The North American Tag Team Champions trapped and hanging in the ropes. Nell and Mary Jane display evilness as they attack the helpless male champions. Nell kicks and pounds on Tex McKenzie as Mary Jane does the same to Art Neilson. The referee is franticly trying to stop the senseless beatings as he runs between the two women wrestlers in an attempt to pull them off their trapped opponents. Stomp after stomp; punch after punch has rained down on the champions. In desperation an angry ref calls for the bell. Signaling an end to the match the referee has disqualified Neil Stewart and Mary Jane Mull. Finding out they have been DQed only serves to enrage the two girls. They continue to pummel the semi-conscious champions. Help finally arrives as several of the other wrestlers race into the ring and pull Nell and Mary Jane off the champions and chase them from the ring. Two wrestlers each release McKenzie and Neilson from the ropes. Both champions collapse to the mat and are flat on their backs as their arms are raised in victory. Dazed, confused and badly beaten nether Art or Tex knows that they have retained their championship as they are helped to their feet and out of the ring. With a wrestler under each arm holding them up The North American Tag Team Champions are carried back to their dressing room.