Almost the entire feud from beginning through the cage match.
Now don't get me wrong, they still had some good stuff after this, but it was never quite this white hot again. The territory system began breaking down a few years after this.
This was just gold. The way it began with those great brawls across the whole MSC between Lawler and Rich, and then Idol came into town and got involved. It was all sparked over Lawler getting the title shot a Nick Bockwinkles AWA world title.
The feud grew and grew and grew week after week. It seemed to go on most of the year in 1987.
Favorite was still when Lawler had Sam Bass as his manager. They were with Lance looking at the fight that Lawler had. Lawler throws this guy out of the ring. Sam Bass is under the ring holding this guys leg so the guy gets disqualified. Lance sees and says that's why he was disqualified. Sam Bass says "I was trying to help him get back into the ring". Good times.
I was on the 3rd or 4th row, back when Lawler was doing a heel run. Jimmy Hart was his manager. Hart threw a chain over his shoulder into the ring that hit Lawler in the hands and after Lawler used it, he slid it through the ring towards Hart. It slid out of the rind and Hart caught it in the pocket of his coat without missing a step and continued complaining about the opponent.
It was prettier than any no look pass I have seen in any basketball game.
over the years at the MSC, I have seen in person....
Rocky Johnson, Dory Funk, Terry Funk, Nick Bockwinkle, Lex Luger, Austin Idol, Dundee and Lawler of course.....
Bobo Brazil, Mr. Wrestling I and II, Jack Brisco, Harley Race, Ric Flair, The Sheik, Tommy Rich, Oni Wiki Wiki, Plowboy Frazier, Jimmy Valiant, Gorgeous George, Ronnie Garvin, Ron Fuller, Dusty Rhodes, Kimala, The Mongolian Stomper, Jerry Jarrett, Jackie Fargo, Sam Bass and the Dominoes, The Interns w/Dr. Ken Ramey......I've lost count
Just the best of times, before it became too commercialized
Sometime around 1983, a group of us highschoolers were hanging out in a fast food parking lot. A big limo pulls in and parks and out get Lawler, Idol, and referee Jerry Calhoun. They made Junkyard Dog stay in the car. They chatted us up for about 15 minutes - largely because a couple of the girls we were with were good looking. It was hilarious they were all traveling together.
There was a restaurant on Summer Ave called Hunan (my second favorite place EVER in Memphis) and Tojo and his "Japanese Connection" was there and in walked Jerry and Dundee, who just that day said they would hunt them down wherever they went.
I laughed and said something about it on the way out and they all acted like they were about to jump up and kill each other. Scored some good autographs, but yeah... I was a young teenager and it destroyed my last illusion that wrestling was real.
I used to work as the shift manager of Pizza Hut at the Coliseum.
We had to make 10,000 pan pizzas for River King hockey games, and about 5000 for Monday night wrestling.
The wrestlers all sat in the upper deck watching the matches. Got a chance to speak with them as I delivered pizzas to the different booths in the Coliseum.
Reggie B Fine always had his nose in a book. He was a pretty smart guy.
Met Lawler a few times. First time when I was a security guard for Wackenhut Security...and one of my fellow guards didn't know who he was...and wouldn't let him in the Fairgrounds. Lawler asked me "Hey, do you know who I am?"
I was like "Hell yeah, you're Jerry the King Lawler."
He told me to convince my fellow guard to let him in...he had to sign autographs at the Toyota tent. I did, and he gave me a signed poster as thanks.
Met him again the year Dallas won their 2nd Super Bowl under Jimmy Johnson.
Dallas had just signed Bernie Kosar to be their backup QB.
I was working at Panchos on Summer Avenue...and Jerry and his then wife Paula came and sat in my section. We talked a little football...and he said Dallas was going to win their 2nd SB after they signed Kosar.
Funny note.....at that Panchos a Memphis broadcasting legend, Dick Holly used to come in. He'd ask for a dish with FRESH avacados.
Well, Panchos didn't HAVE fresh avacados...so this one time...wanting to be helpful...I ran around the back to the supermarket behind Panchos (Big Star) and bought fresh avacados for $6.
He was very grateful....and generously tipped me $2.
From that point on...I was his waiter. Whenever he and his girlfriend came by...they always asked for me. I BEGGED the managers not to give him to me anymore....I was losing money in that deal.....cuz I had to go buy him fresh avacados....for which I would lose $4. Every. Single. Time.
LOL
(03-11-2017 12:19 PM)EarthBoundMisfit Wrote: [ -> ]I used to work as the shift manager of Pizza Hut at the Coliseum.
We had to make 10,000 pan pizzas for River King hockey games, and about 5000 for Monday night wrestling.
The wrestlers all sat in the upper deck watching the matches. Got a chance to speak with them as I delivered pizzas to the different booths in the Coliseum.
Reggie B Fine always had his nose in a book. He was a pretty smart guy.
Met Lawler a few times. First time when I was a security guard for Wackenhut Security...and one of my fellow guards didn't know who he was...and wouldn't let him in the Fairgrounds. Lawler asked me "Hey, do you know who I am?"
I was like "Hell yeah, you're Jerry the King Lawler."
He told me to convince my fellow guard to let him in...he had to sign autographs at the Toyota tent. I did, and he gave me a signed poster as thanks.
Met him again the year Dallas won their 2nd Super Bowl under Jimmy Johnson.
Dallas had just signed Bernie Kosar to be their backup QB.
I was working at Panchos on Summer Avenue...and Jerry and his then wife Paula came and sat in my section. We talked a little football...and he said Dallas was going to win their 2nd SB after they signed Kosar.
Funny note.....at that Panchos a Memphis broadcasting legend, Dick Holly used to come in. He'd ask for a dish with FRESH avacados.
Well, Panchos didn't HAVE fresh avacados...so this one time...wanting to be helpful...I ran around the back to the supermarket behind Panchos (Big Star) and bought fresh avacados for $6.
He was very grateful....and generously tipped me $2.
From that point on...I was his waiter. Whenever he and his girlfriend came by...they always asked for me. I BEGGED the managers not to give him to me anymore....I was losing money in that deal.....cuz I had to go buy him fresh avacados....for which I would lose $4. Every. Single. Time.
LOL
No good deed goes unpunished.
Yeah, it was funny seeing the wrestlers up there sitting next to each other that were supposedly about to kill each other in the ring later that night. Part of the reason they kept the top section dark.
Two of my friends and I would go down on Mondays and cheer for the bad guys... basically to annoy everyone else and make it a better experience. But, I remember when a tag team I think they called themselves, New Kids On The Block, or something stupid, but it was Brian Christopher and (I forget who his tag partner was), but we gave them all kinds of grief. The guy sitting behind me finally said, y'all really don't like them. I joked, not really, we're just being heels. He asked if I knew who they were, that Brian was really Lawler's son. I said yes. He asked if I knew who the other one was... I said No. To which he replied, MY son!!!
We weren't as loud for the rest of the match.
(03-11-2017 12:19 PM)EarthBoundMisfit Wrote: [ -> ]I used to work as the shift manager of Pizza Hut at the Coliseum.
We had to make 10,000 pan pizzas for River King hockey games, and about 5000 for Monday night wrestling.
The wrestlers all sat in the upper deck watching the matches. Got a chance to speak with them as I delivered pizzas to the different booths in the Coliseum.
Reggie B Fine always had his nose in a book. He was a pretty smart guy.
Met Lawler a few times. First time when I was a security guard for Wackenhut Security...and one of my fellow guards didn't know who he was...and wouldn't let him in the Fairgrounds. Lawler asked me "Hey, do you know who I am?"
I was like "Hell yeah, you're Jerry the King Lawler."
He told me to convince my fellow guard to let him in...he had to sign autographs at the Toyota tent. I did, and he gave me a signed poster as thanks.
Met him again the year Dallas won their 2nd Super Bowl under Jimmy Johnson.
Dallas had just signed Bernie Kosar to be their backup QB.
I was working at Panchos on Summer Avenue...and Jerry and his then wife Paula came and sat in my section. We talked a little football...and he said Dallas was going to win their 2nd SB after they signed Kosar.
Funny note.....at that Panchos a Memphis broadcasting legend, Dick Holly used to come in. He'd ask for a dish with FRESH avacados.
Well, Panchos didn't HAVE fresh avacados...so this one time...wanting to be helpful...I ran around the back to the supermarket behind Panchos (Big Star) and bought fresh avacados for $6.
He was very grateful....and generously tipped me $2.
From that point on...I was his waiter. Whenever he and his girlfriend came by...they always asked for me. I BEGGED the managers not to give him to me anymore....I was losing money in that deal.....cuz I had to go buy him fresh avacados....for which I would lose $4. Every. Single. Time.
LOL
No good deed goes unpunished.
Yeah, it was funny seeing the wrestlers up there sitting next to each other that were supposedly about to kill each other in the ring later that night. Part of the reason they kept the top section dark.
Two of my friends and I would go down on Mondays and cheer for the bad guys... basically to annoy everyone else and make it a better experience. But, I remember when a tag team I think they called themselves, New Kids On The Block, or something stupid, but it was Brian Christopher and (I forget who his tag partner was), but we gave them all kinds of grief. The guy sitting behind me finally said, y'all really don't like them. I joked, not really, we're just being heels. He asked if I knew who they were, that Brian was really Lawler's son. I said yes. He asked if I knew who the other one was... I said No. To which he replied, MY son!!!
We weren't as loud for the rest of the match.
Tony Williams Had huge thighs that looked too big for his frame