Found Footage Friday: LAWLER~! KAMALA~! LAWLER AND KAMALA~?! SHOCK~! AWE~! SMOTHERS~! STORM~!

Tracy Smothers vs. James Storm NWA Worldwide 5/13/00

MD: This felt like a big moment for Storm, in his early 20s, clean-cut, wearing black trunks with STORM on them. Apparently the heels (including Chris Champion) had won a stip where they got to decide when and where they wrestled, so even though they'd been booked to face Storm, they were able to send Smothers (being another heel himself) out there.

For the most part, it was by the numbers, but they're numbers I'm pretty fond of. Smothers got on the mic and said that if they chant Tracy Sucks, he'd leave, which he was probably doing in 4th grade math class to taunt the teacher, but it always worked. It was pretty obvious Smothers was leading him around, including all but throwing himself into a headscissors takeover and a 'rana on the comeback (the sort of basing which not only meant taking offense, but overcompensating to make it work) and bumping headfirst on a wheelbarrow reversal into a bulldog. There were a million plucky, athletic, flying babyfaces in the early 00s, and Storm was definitely one of them, but between Smothers' showmanship and a few well placed and unlikely kickouts, they crowd were entirely with him. The finish had Smothers slip on a banana peel and Storm able to turn an attempt at cheating to his own advantage for the big upset win. Post match, he got destroyed by a bevy of heels, but ultimately, primarily thanks to Tracy, he came out of this looking like a real prospect.

Jerry Lawler vs. Kamala Memphis Wrestling Power Hour 5/17/03

MD: Turner had posted a bunch of 00s Memphis a month or two ago but most of those were things that were already out there. This might have been as well but it's not anything we've ever covered. There's a really great match from JAPW in January of 03 between these two. This though, was just great studio TV.

This was nominally set up to be a 2/3 falls (or TV time remaining) match and it's amazing how much they accomplished in so little time. The first fall, if a standalone match, might be one of the best two-minute studio matches ever. Kamala moved around the ring with a variety of strikes and smashes and Lawler propelled himself back after taking each one. Kamala had big energy and presence but Lawler made it work by picking a different part of the ring to retreat to each time. It literally kept things moving. The strap went down after about a minute of it and Lawler was able to fire off shots (including one amazing punch against the huge canvas of Kamala that the camera caught perfectly), staggering Kamala and finally driving him back with a dropkick into the corner, but not able to take him down. When Kamala pushed forawrd despite it, it was a shocking moment as the strap had already come down, but he quickly lost control when he was firing back on Lawler and hit the ref to draw the DQ. Lance was great here, both referencing Lawler's traditional slow starts in how Kamala was destroying him early and then, at the start of the second fall, noting how sprly Lawler had jumped up after the DQ, even despite the strap-dropping not paying off.

Between falls, they had a lady in from a radio show to talk to Corey and a backstage bit with Jimmy Hart trying to pay off Kamala (and Kamala eating the money). The second fall was brisk, with Lawler stepping on Kamala's toes to make an inroad but Hart's people rushing in to cause the DQ. Kamala took offense to this and came to Lawler's aid for a huge pop. This set up a tag match the next week just in the studio, and that almost felt like a shame because this angle should have been able to draw for real. That first fall was masterful. Best two minutes of wrestling you'll see this month.

Jerry Lawler/Kamala vs. Shock/Awe Memphis Wrestling Power Hour 5/24/03

MD: I had to see this play out. Even ten years earlier, it would have led to a big show at the Coliseum. That's not this. It's just another four minute TV match, unfortunately, but they were just building up Shock and Awe. One was Del Rios. The other was a pretty green British monster, the sort that could accidentally do a nice leg drop and an amazing kneeling body slam to Lawler and then immediately get out of the ring because he was blown up and that wasn't exactly sure where to put his body for the double noggin knocker with Jimmy Hart as the ref was throwing things out.

But you're watching this for Lawler and Kamala and they were both individually good but I wish they would have interacted a little more. There was a bit of subdued smugness for Lawler on the idea that no matter how much Shock and Awe might toss him around, he always had Kamala ready to tag in. Eventually, he missed a fist drop and got slammed around a bit more until Rios missed a quizzical flipping senton off the ropes and Lawler kind of waltzed over (respecting the fact he had only gotten beaten up for two minutes or so) for a not-so-hot tag and Hart hit the apron to set up the match getting thrown out. Honestly, if this had another couple of minutes tacked on to each section, there was probably something worthwhile here. As it was, it was fun but not the magical couple of minutes that the singles TV match was.

ER: I know it's just the format we chose for our personal type spacing aesthetics a decade and a half ago, but I really love how we have the match typed out as Shock slash Awe instead of Shock & Awe. It's like the funniest wrong way the local news could get their name.