Wikipedia

MOD Squad

(Redirected from Basher and Spike)
This article is about the tag team. For the television show, see The Mod Squad. For other uses, see The Mod Squad (disambiguation).

The MOD Squad was a professional wrestling tag team that worked together from 1984 to 1991, normally working as heels (wrestling term for those who portray the "bad guys"). The team was made up of brothers James (July 14, 1960 – February 8, 2013) and Mack Jefferson, known under the ring names Mack Jeffers and Jim Jeffers and later on as Spike and Basher respectively. The duo's ring characters was that of two motorcycle police officers.

MOD Squad
Tag team
MembersJim Jefferson / Spike
Mack Jefferson / Basher
Name(s)Jeffers
MOD Squad
Billed fromAnderson, South Carolina
Debut1984
Disbanded1991

Team history

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Mack and James Jefferson began wrestling in 1984 under the ring names Mack Jeffers and Jim Jeffers working as a regular team from more or less the beginning, billed as "the Jeffers".[1] In 1986 the team decided to change their image, adopting the monikers Spike and Basher, the Mod Squad, a pair of motorcycle police officers, completed with uniforms and motorcycle helmets that the team used to help them win matches, pushing the perception that they were bad guys.[2] The MOD Squad had their first taste of success in the Continental Wrestling Association (CWA) where they were managed by J.D. Costello. On March 24, 1986, the team defeated The Fantastics (Bobby Fulton and Tommy Rogers) to win the AWA Southern Tag Team Championship.[3] The CWA bookers decided to move the tag team championship onto the team of Giant Hillbilly and Jerry Lawler 91 days later on June 23.[3] By the end of the year the MOD Squad had moved on to another territory, working around Kansas City for the Central States Wrestling promotion. On January 1 Spike and Basher became the NWA Central States Tag Team Champions by defeating Dave Peterson and Todd Champion.[4] Their run on top of the tag team division was ended 56 days later as the team of Bart Batten and Ric McCord defeated them.[4] The following month the MOD Squad defeated The Southern Boys (Steve Armstrong and Tracy Smothers) to win the NWA Florida Tag Team Championship.[5] In April, 1987 the MOD Squad were invited to participate in the second annual Jim Crockett, Sr. Memorial Cup Tag Team Tournament, defeating the veteran team of Wahoo McDaniel and Baron von Raschke in the first round, but were defeated by Four Horsemen representatives Lex Luger and Tully Blanchard in the second round.[6] The following week they lost the NWA Florida Tag Team Championship to The Fabulous Ones (Stan Lane and Steve Keirn) on a show in Florida.[5] The MOD Squad challenged the Fabulous Ones for the Florida Tag Team Championship as part of the Eddie Graham Memorial Show on May 9, 1987, but lost.[7] The brothers competed on two of the National Wrestling Alliance The Great American Bash shows in the summer of 1987, first on July 4, 1987, in Atlanta, Georgia Spike and Basher competed in singles matches losing to LazorTron and Jimmy Valiant on undercard matches.[8] 2 weeks later at the July 18 Great American Bash show they were unsuccessful in their challenge for the NWA World Tag Team Championship as they lost to the Rock and Roll Express (Ricky Morton and Robert Gibson.[1][8] Their last high-profile match took place on February 6, 1990, as part of World Championship Wrestling's Clash of the Champions X: Texas Shootout show where they lost to the team of "Flyin' Brian" Pillman and "Z-Man" Tom Zenk in the second match of the night.[8] Both members of the MOD Squad retired from active competition in 1991.

James "Spike" Jefferson died on February 8, 2013, in Belton, South Carolina, at the age of 52.[9]

Championships and accomplishments

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References

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  1. ^ a b Johnson, Mike (February 12, 2013). "1980s STAR JAMES JEFFERSON AKA SPIKE OF THE MOD SQUAD PASSES AWAY". Pro Wrestling Insider. Retrieved March 22, 2015.
  2. ^ Greg Oliver and Steve Johnson (2005). "The Territorial Era (Mid-1960s to mid-1980s)". The Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame: The Tag Teams. ECW Press. ISBN 978-1-5502-2683-6.
  3. ^ a b c Duncan, Royal; Will, Gary (2006) [2000.]. "(Memphis, Nashville) Tennessee: Southern Tag Team Title [Roy Welsch & Nick Gulas, Jerry Jarrett from 1977]". Wrestling title histories: professional wrestling champions around the world from the 19th century to the present. Waterloo, Ontario: Archeus Communications. pp. 185–189. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
  4. ^ a b c Royal Duncan & Gary Will (2006). "Kansas City, Missouri: NWA Central States Tag Team Title". Wrestling Title Histories. Archeus Communications. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
  5. ^ a b c Royal Duncan & Gary Will (2006). "Florida: NWA Florida Tag Team Title". Wrestling Title Histories. Archeus Communications. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
  6. ^ "2nd Annual Crockett Cup". Wrestling Supercards & Tournaments. Retrieved March 22, 2015.
  7. ^ "Eddie Graham Memorial Show". Championship Wrestling from Florida Misc. Events. ProWrestlingHistory.com. Retrieved March 22, 2015.
  8. ^ a b c "Historical Cards". PWI Presents: 2007 Wrestling Almanak and book of facts. Kappa Publications. p. 152. 2007 Edition.
  9. ^ "1980s STAR JAMES JEFFERSON AKA SPIKE OF THE MOD SQUAD PASSES AWAY | PWInsider.com". www.pwinsider.com. Retrieved 2022-05-05.
  10. ^ "Southern Tag Team Title". Wrestling-Titles. Retrieved January 19, 2020.
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