New Footage Friday: All Hail The King

Jerry Lawler/Issac Yankem DDS vs. The Smoking Guns WWF 1/6/96 - GREAT

MD: Hey, another match with some weird legal man issues. This time, it let us enjoy a brief moment of Lawler being a WWF Tag Team Champion. I didn't love the first minute or so of this when Bart was clunkily tag-team specialist-ing against Yankem but the rest was pretty good. Billy was solid, both in reacting to Lawler's antics and as a face-in-peril, though I wish he would have gotten a few more hope spots. Lawler brought the hidden object which is sometimes smoother in a tag setting with the distraction possibilities. He hit a great bulldog mid-heat and then whiffed wildly on the second one to set up the (not perfectly timed on Yankem's cut off attempt) hot tag. They could have handled the restart better since they didn't get across to the crowd well why the disembodied presence of Monsoon was actually restarting the thing. Still, a unique match-up and a new * for Lawler's storied career.

PAS: Lawler never held a title in the WWF/E not even five minutes with the 24/7 title. I guess this phantom tag title change is the closest he ever got. Bart was really bad in this, one of the crappier hot tags I can remember seeing. Billy was a pretty great face in peril, took a big flip bump on a clothesline, was part of that awesome bulldog segment with Lawler, and landed a cool punch. Yankem was really clumsly, but in a way that worked, and Lawler was masterful of course. I always enjoy watching him work a donut hole foreign object and he commanded the ring as he always does. Finish was trash, but a great showcase from a bit of a lost period for the King. 

ER: I always get super excited when WWF house show Lawler turns up. For a guy who has been affiliated with WWF for over 20 years, we really don't have a ton of Lawler footage from up north. He's not someone who was a regular TV worker, seemingly one of the only guys allowed to work indies while also working for WWF. 1996 was his most active year in WWF and he only shows up on TV or PPV 14 times, so house show fancams are genuine blessings. Also, considering they brought Yankem in attached to Lawler, this is one of only 5 tag matches Lawler and Yankem worked together, so again we are blessed. The tag was great (until the inept finish) and I think Yankem really benefitted from being paired with Lawler. He's still a big galoot who isn't great at staggering, but his Memphis offense is way tighter. He throws an overhand right that is far better than his overhand rights even two years later, looking like he just levels Billy; later in the match he drops a jumping elbowdrop right on the collarbones, no light, totally different than his light leaping elbow he was using a couple years later. 

Lawler was a total King in this match, hiding a chain throughout and sneaking in punches behind the ref's back, whiffing on a corner punch to Billy and then getting lambasted by Billy's punch (Lawler is not only wrestling's best puncher, but he is the best at making everyone he works into the best puncher) and hits a gnarly bulldog. The best part of the bulldog is he uses it again late in the match as a comeback spot for Billy, as Billy just throws him forward right when Lawler leaps into it. Lawler selling the bulldog bump was my favorite moment of the match. Bart Gunn sees red on the hot tag and punches Yankem like mad in the corner, while juuuuust off camera Lawler cheats to win (jeez guys, I appreciate the handheld, but how are you only filming HALF of the ring during the finish) and hits a piledriver. Lawler and Yankem win the tag titles, until Finkel gets on the mic and says that Gorilla Monsoon demands the match restarted even though he respects the referee's decision and Finkel can't make the reasoning for a restart sound the least bit convincing. One of the guys filming the match sums the restart up perfectly:

"That really is lame."

Match restarted, Gunns quickly win, and it's incredibly lame. A several month run with Lawler and Yankem holding the straps would have been so much better than the Smoking Gunns. Also, I'd like to say I was there live for Lawler coming close to winning the WWE title at Elimination Chamber 2011. His Heavyweight title match against Miz is one of my all time favorite live wrestling moments, and the crowd definitely wanted Lawler to win the title. I thought it was happening and I wasn't alone. I feel real lucky to have been there for that match. 

Jerry Lawler vs. Mike Rapada NWA Georgia 7/2/99 - SKIPPABLE

PAS: This was full shtick Lawler, and I think Attitude era Lawler may be the low point of his in-ring career. This was 95% crowd mic work and spots worked around the Kat. Lawler is good at this kind of stuff, but it isn't what you want to see him do. We get maybe the most inauthentic looking kiss the valet spots from Rapada ever, the equivalent of watching Ellen do straight romantic comedy roles. During the brief actual wrestling moments, Lawler did hit a nasty fistdrop to the back of Rapada's head and take a big backdrop bump, but otherwise this was about as mailed in as Lawler is going to do. And it isn't like Mike Rapada is going to pick up the slack.

MD: This wasn't much of a match. Probably a little too much Stacy, though it's not like she didn't play her role well, and Rapada had a credibility issue with the crowd and, let's face it, with the world. At times, it was the Jerry Lawler Comedy Hour. That said, if the wrestling ring was the ocean, Lawler would be able to breathe underwater. Obviously, I've seen hundreds of his matches, but he just moves from one thing here to the next with absolute ease. It doesn't matter what he's doing: taunting a fan in the third row, getting cheapshots in on Rapada in the corner, stalling and making it about Stacy again, jawing with the crowd who were chanting something he couldn't quite make out, feeding a giant back body drop for Rapada. It all just seems effortless and natural. That was one secret of Lawler's success; no matter how outlandish what you were watching was, you just had to suspend your disbelief less with him. It only helped the match so much on this night though.

Jerry Lawler/Rob Williams vs. Bad Attitude (David Young/Rick Michaels) NWA Wildside 5/22/01 - EPIC

PAS: This is from a Wildside house show and is a pretty great house show Southern tag. I don't remember Rob Williams at all, but he is a fine Ricky Riceish muscular babyface tag wrestler. Lawler doesn't do a ton in this match, Williams gets a lot of the early face shine, and is the face in peril, but everything he does is perfect. I love tagging in early and bumping the heels leading Michaels to scoot back and crotch himself on the ringpost. All of his punches look like Lawler punches and we get a Lawler piledriver. Most of the match is Bad Attitude beating on Williams, and they are pretty great at it. All of the simple stuff looks great, both Michaels and Young have good looking looping punches, and they hit some killer double teams including a drop toehold into a running knee. We get to see both Young's powerslam and his Spinebuster which are always amazing looking and the finish sends the crowd home happy. Cool discovery, so glad whoever runs the Wildeside channel dug it up. 

MD: It's been a long time since I've seen any Bad Attitude, but Young looked many degrees better than Michaels did to me here. Really solid presence and timing and yes, attitude. His stooging drew me in while Michaels' was too over the top and took me out of the match much more. Half of Williams' stuff looked good. Half of it maybe less so. Lawler was absolutely what you'd want him to be in this role, with a rule of 3 bit with Young in the shine and working of the corner until the hot tag and him clearing house. First half of the finish was weird to me because Williams was obviously not the legal man but it let fans bask in the glory of the attraction at least.

ER: This is the kind of tag match you hope you see when you go to an indy show. This was fantastic. Lawler was in the ring less than anybody in the match and yet was used perfectly, because Bad Attitude were the exact team that could get you invested in a 20 minute indy tag during this era. They know when to come hard with moves and knew how to stooge liberally while still coming off as a threat. Their heat segment on Williams was the kind of thing that gets me insanely involved at a wrestling show, they pulled it off perfectly. Williams was a strong babyface (I don't think I've ever seen him before, but he did everything a good babyface should do in this kind of match) and Lawler made the most of his time in the ring (and punching at Young from the apron), but it's impossible to watch this match and not want to go watch several more Bad Attitude matches. 

David Young works like Alex Jones decided to dedicate his con gifts to pro wrestling, throws a legendarily great spinebuster and powerslam, and takes stooging bumps as good as heel Lawler. I loved how Young took a drop toehold and then held his mouth, or the way he bumped over the top to the floor off a late match Lawler haymaker. His double teams with Michaels were strong as well and made a long heat segment on Williams fly right on by. Michaels is such a pro, and I love the twists he puts on already great spots. BA did one of the best drop toehold/kneedrop spots I've seen, because Michaels dropped that knee head on, not coming at Williams at a perpendicular but dropping it straight into his forehead at a straight angle. Michaels threw great punches and shook his fist out (that's the real sign of what makes a wrestler an all timer), gave Williams brief believable openings before closing them down, backed balls first into a ringpost AND flopped around tremendously for a Lawler legdrop to the balls, and like Young knew exactly where to be at all times. Great tag match, and before tonight I had no idea Lawler even worked Wildside. 

COMPLETE AND ACCURATE KING

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NWA Wildside- Throwback Review Episode 42

http://www.twnworldwide.tv/nwawildside42.html

6/26/00

Long intro, starting with Steve Martin (was not in Roxanne) and Jeff G. Bailey riding to the arena, Martin explaining how he is going to confront Stone Mountain (may or may not have shot his father). Then the NWA Elite goes into the ring and Martin goes "like I told you in the car, I am calling out Stone Mountain." I am not sure why I needed the car ride about the confrontation and the actual confrontation. Martin offers Mountain a place in the NWA Elite, gets the third finger and we get a big brawl between Scotty Wrenn and Mountain with chair shots and broken handcuffs.

Jesse Taylor v. Stan "The Man" Lee

A match with plenty of entertaining pieces to it, although didn't really come together as a match. Lee is an old school Southern indy guy I have always enjoyed, kind of a poor mans Mike Davis. The match was going along at a nice pace before the blew a top rope rana which ended up spiking both guys awkwardly on their necks. It was touch and go for a bit, although they were able to bring the match back eventually.

Jon Phoenix v. Lazz

Onyx runs out during Lazz's dance routine and hits him with the light heavyweight belt (which looked like crap because Lazz went down way too early.) Phoenix hits a top rope splash and pins him. Lazz's shtick is starting to get really over with the crowd.

They have a WOW magazine segment with Bill Apter where a young wrestler named Ron Starr (a black guy, not Rugged Ron Starr) calls out Bill Beherens for not returning his calls, or giving him a booking. Kind of a weird angle, not sure if it ever went anywhere

SHANK!! is in the ring. He wants to give a shout out to all of his Overweight Lovers in the house. God has healed his hand, and he is challenging Timber the Lumberjack to a Cellblock Rules match at Freedom Fight, that is a steel cage match out in the parking lot. He tells Timber that there won't be any Vaseline, and he he can either run and hide, or bend over and take it like a man. Everything you want it to be. Man I hope they show us the Cellblock match.

Rock and Roll Express v. Bad Attitude

Joined in progress which is a bummer. We see Young get worked over and make the hot tag and Bad Attitude get the pin with a couple of top rope moves. Steve Martin (not King Tut) comes out and changes it to a 2/3 falls match. Rock and Rolls get a sort of double dropkick (Morton hit it, Gibson looked like his dropkicking days were in the past) and win a quick second fall. Fun third fall with the heel Rock and Rolls working over Michaels leg, until a hot tag, a mistimed chain throw by Martina and a Bad Attitude win. NWA Elite jumps Young and Michaels, but Morton and Gibson revert to their babyface ways and run them off.

First part of the show is skippable, but the Shank promo is Shank at his best, and I dug the main event tag.

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NWA Wildside- Throwback Review Episode 41

http://www.twnworldwide.tv/nwawildside41.html

6/19/00

Jesse Taylor v. Mickey Richards

Competitive squash. Taylor has a nice belly to belly

Shank takes the belt he stole last week to a pawn shop. He tries to get $25,000 for it, but settles for $500. Comedy Shank isn't as good as terrifying Shank

Mick Tierney v. Smasher

Tierney beats on Smasher for a bit, and we get a Ron Studd run in, and an addition stringy haired guy also managed by Luther Biggs. The road to Tierny v. Studd continues

JC Dazz/Stone Mountain/David Young/Rick Michaels v. AJ Styles/Onyx/Eddie Golden/Bill Behrens

Really fun 8 man tag. We start out with Styles and Dazz, and they do a mirror section. Not a huge fan of mirror wrestling, but this was done really fast and ended in a great Dazz powerslam. Most of the match is Michaels getting his knee worked over with Behrens doing a nice job in the chickenshit manager role, including putting on a figure four. Finish comes with everyone in the ring brawling. Other members of the NWA Elite come in and they handcuff Stone Mountain (aka Maybyss) to the ropes. Steve Martin (not working a Steve Martin gimmick) returns to make the save with a chair. If you have ever seen wrestling before you know what happens next. The crowd is just pelting the ring with garbage at this point, and while I haven't cared for this whole angle, obviously Martin turning heel is a big deal to the crowd.

We end with a post match promo with Steve Martin and Jeff G. Bailey crowing about turning on Rick Michaels

First part of the show is skippable, but the eight man tag and post match angle was good stuff.

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NWA Wildside- Throwback Review Episode 37

http://www.twnworldwide.tv/nwawildside37.html

5/21/00

We open with a night vision promo from SHANK!! He is in the woods outside of Timber's parents house. "I'm in your backyard boy. I see you parents right now through the window eatin dinner. Your grandma pulled up in the driveway. When they go to the door and they don't see her come in, but her cars outside. They may find the body, they may not." Yes that is a babyface credibly threatening to murder the heel's grandma. Shank is the best.

JC Dazz v. Gemini

Gemini is rocking face paint and doing kind of a fake Muta. He is exactly as good as one might expect a GA indy fake Muta to be. JC Dazz is an ex Scotty Wrenn tag partner and has the same kind of tubby jeans shorts highflyer look (he had long pants, but he looked like he should've had jeans shorts.) They do some stuff for a while and AJ Styles and Eddie Golden run in and attack Dazz.

Mick Tierney v. Stone Mountain

Tierney is a Bassman trainee who would have a cup of coffee in WWF Developmental. He is a pretty big guy who got tapped by Oleg Taktarov in a submissions tourney and played Canadian football. He wrestled like an early 2000's fake MMA guy, think Kama the Human Fighting Machine. Both of these guys looked like heavyweights which is something Wildside always had. The match sort of had that awkward feel of a Zero One mainevent without Hashimoto or Ogawa to bring things together. This ended with a Ron Studd staredown and Scotty Wrenn run in. I am starting to notice a trend here.

They have a promo with Steve Martin (Not working a Steve Martin gimmick) and Rick Michaels where they discuss AJ Styles leaving and the issues with the NWA board. Felt very expositional, if it was on Game of Thrones they would have at least shown us some titties.

Jorge Estrada/Jessie Taylor v. Onyx/Terry Knight

Onyx and Knight are Jeff G. Bailey managed. These are four pretty athletic guys, Estrada hits a tope with crazy height. Still outside of Terry Knight they all felt pretty green. Finish has Estrada pinning Knight after he gets accidentally hit with the belt. Big commercial break clip in the middle made it kind of hard to get a sense of this.

Lots of guys in this fed are great on the mike, Stone Mountain is not one of them

Cole Brothers v. Bad Attitude

Very short no DQ match. Cole twins smack the ref and double team David Young. Bill Beherens cheap shots Rick Michaels, but Michaels cracks him and Young hits his spinebuster for the three. Don't understand why this wasn't given more time as they seem to be building the Cole's as a bigger deal and the certainly look like big tough dudes.

Bad Attitude promo calling out the Rock and Roll Express which is a match I hope shows up

Opening Shank promo is must see, the rest of the show is pretty skippable.

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