[1996-06-15-USWA-TV] Jerry Lawler and Cyberpunk Fire

[Loss]

Talk about it here.

[Loss]

Fire comes out and asks Lawler where his $5000 is.

 

Lawler: "All I need to know is who to make it out to."

Fire: "You can make it out to ... YOU CONMAN."

Lawler: "I just need to know your legal name. Should I make it out to Kelly Wolf?"

 

So Lawler's outsmarted Fire. He either gives him the $5000 and Fire has to leave, or Fire stays and he keeps his money.

 

After some back and forth, Fire tells him to just keep his money.

 

They finally end up setting up a match at the Mid South Coliseum where Lawler will have to pay him $5000 cash if Fire beats him. Match is no DQ. If Lawler wins, Fire has to unmask.

 

Lawler: "You know this is the last show at Mid South Coliseum. We're moving to a bigger venue and no Lance Russell, I don't mean your nose."

 

The week-to-week booking in Memphis is similar to the Monday Night Wars era in some ways, because the goal is to make each weekly show as marquee as possible, but it's different in that there's no PPV to sidetrack it, and their goal is to draw a gate, not a rating. Still, there are probably some aspects of running the same arena every week that could be applied to a modern setting.

[shoe]

This was a cool segment that Lawler just carries. Lawler is just amazing on the mike. It's amazing that he is just as effective today. I don't watch today's product, but will check out some stuff like the Lawler/Miz stuff. Steamer/Jericho from a few years back. My dream booking with Lawler would be him and Miz in a cage. Cole has one of his many famous opponents hiding underneath the ring in a total rip off of the Lawler/Idol and Rich angle. I know it won't happen, but I can wish. Still another fun segment from the USWA. I've always wondered why Lawler never worked in creative in the WWE.

[Tim Evans]

This is one of the better Memphis angles of the time. As great as Lawler was as a babyface in Memphis, he's way better as a heel. The whole thing with the check was just a great dick move. Too bad it didn't last long.

[PeteF3]

Compelling stuff here as Lawler weasels out of a $5000 stip because the contract didn't say it had to be cash. Instead, it'll be 50 $100 bills against Cyberpunk Fire's mask in the final USWA main event at the Mid-South Coliseum. You'd like the building to close out with a better main event than that, in an ideal world, but this is still a hell of a segment.

[soup23]

I enjoyed this a lot too. Fire gets outsmarted and its a great moment when Wolfie realizes what has happened. Conman was effective phrasing. Lawler is a great schemer here. We get a big match set up at the MSC between the two with some good stips actually.

[tim]

This angle rules, one of the best of the year. Really clever and Lawler knocks it out of the park; Lance is really great selling it too. He has such appreciation for Lawler's trick. Wolfie's exasperation at clearly being out-thought is also great. Fantastic segment.