[1992-05-09-USWA-TV] Eddie Gilbert and Tom Prichard

[Loss]

Talk about it here.

[Loss]

Eddie Gilbert is back! He shows up in the studio with the GWF North American title and says Eddie Marlin was ducking his calls, then Guy Coffey did the same. He mentions that the Open Door Policy is basically a paper policy. Coffey says if he wants to talk in the back he can, but if he doesn't leave, he's going to have security take him out. Eddie Marlin finally comes out and says he respects his father, but has none for him and Coffey and Marlin end up getting into it!

 

Eventually, Tom Pritchard comes out and points out that Gilbert stirs up trouble wherever he goes and he doesn't deserve anything. They debate whether or not Pritchard is a company guy and this all ends with Gilbert agreeing to put his title on the line against Pritchard at Mid South Coliseum.

 

Goes a little long, but it's a good segment and a hot angle.

[Tim Evans]

Ah the start of the Fake GWF vs USWA feud. Too bad it only lasted a couple weeks before the real GWF found out. Good interview by Gilbert and Prichard turned his piperisms down a little bit. Even Eddie Marlin did a good interview.

[shoe]

This was a great segment.

[Kevin Ridge]

Eddie talks about how congressman lie. They were doing that stuff back in 92? Good promo by Gilbert. I liked Marlin getting on angry with Gilbert and Coffey. He looks like he is on the verge of snapping.

[WingedEagle]

Gilbert arrives with GWF Title. I don't remember the details but assume Gilbert walked out on Global? Gilbert looks big time with the suit and his presence on the mic. When Pritchard comes out we've now got GWF, USWA and SMW representation on tv all at once. Gilbert agrees to put the GWF title up against Pritchard and then wants a USWA title shot. 21 years later this works for me.

[PeteF3]

Gilbert arrives with GWF Title. I don't remember the details but assume Gilbert walked out on Global?

Right at this point Global stopped flying in outside talent and went to using almost exclusively Dallas-area guys.

 

Gilbert is terrific here, as a laid-back, suited, quietly confident smarmy heel instead of the screamer he was before. Gilbert calls out the USWA for not really having an "open door policy" and then, in perhaps the ultimate insult in the face of prior King promos, refers to Jerry Lawler as a "company champion"! That's cutting it to the bone, right there. Eddie Marlin interrupts a confrontation between Gilbert and Guy Coffee to declare that without him, Jerry Lawler would have come out and pounded Gilbert's brains in.

 

Marlin wants Gilbert to have a chance to work his way up and Coffee wants him thrown out of the studio. Eventually Dr. Tom Prichard comes out to settle this, and eventually they talk Gilbert into putting up the GWF North American title for this Monday!

 

This is a very rushed (relatively speaking) rehash of the Snowman angle in many aspects. There are plenty of worse angles to rip off and Gilbert has quite a strong argument, having been seen on national TV with this championship.

[MikeCampbell]

This was awesome. Eddie shows up and "shoots" on USWA, with the Global Title, and compares Guy Coffee and Eddie Marlin to the House Banking scandal.

[garretta]

I collect quaint little Memphis-isms as a hobby, and this is a good example of number 206: The on-screen promoters automatically believe that an outsider, who is almost in all cases a heel, will give up the TV time they just hijacked and come quietly and respectfully to the back to talk business. Didn't you hear the first part of Eddie's interview, Mr. Coffey? He knows he's not scheduled to be here, that he's taking up valuable TV time that you have slotted for other matches, but he doesn't care! And no matter how many times you repeat yourself and threaten to have him escorted out, he isn't going to start caring!

 

There are so many good things about this that it's hard to list them all: Eddie begging for security to take him out, Marlin interjecting himself with good points about why security shouldn't throw Eddie out and why he actually saved Eddie from a hell of a beating at Lawler's hands, and, perhaps most shockingly, Dr. Tom and the Southern title coming out to answer Eddie's challenge instead of Lawler and the Unified belt. It's a welcome surprise, because if they really want to put this over big, there's no sense in giving away the match everyone wants to see right out of the gate. Plus, Eddie vs. Dr. Tom is a fresh matchup which didn't happen on Eddie's last time through Memphis, so there should be some intrigue surrounding it.

 

Someone should tell Guy Coffey that repeating yourself every time you get the mic isn't a sign of authority. I know he's not used to being an on-screen character, but he needs to express himself just a tad better if he's going to get over for as long as he's out there. I'd really like to see someone like Dave in the role on a temporary basis, but Corey Maclin as the host isn't something I'm willing to put up with in order to get it.

 

Interesting that Dr. Tom mentions his booking for Windy City Wrestling, and that it's on the same night as the MSC card. If that's legit, I'm surprised Papa let him do it. It's just a sign of how little the Southern title means in Memphis right now.

[ajtroma]

I'm pretty sure the Windy City reference was just hogwash.

[garretta]

I kind of thought so. Thanks, AJ!

[dawho5]

Great segment.  Heels are better when they have at least some credibility, and Eddie has a lot going for him here.  Even if he is being a dick about it.  Pritchard vs. Gilbert sounds like a great match!