[1990-04-20-USWA Texas] Jerry Lawler vs Jeff Jarrett

[Loss]

Talk about it here.

[PeteF3]

Well, this was where I had to head first. It's hard for me to be objective about this one--as I said in the 1990 hype thread, seeing this match on ESPN was the first time I knew Lawler or Jarrett as anything other than names in Apter mags, and it was my first chance to see wrestling truly distinct from the WWF, NWA (as I knew Crockett to be called), or AWA. It was the first time I'd seen something really basic like a chain being visibly passed back and forth, and a new-to-me Dusty finish. I wouldn't see Lawler again until he showed in the WWF and I subsequently ordered some tapes from RF to see Vince & co. work heel. But seeing what was up in Memphis through PWI and such was now a priority for me.

 

Cool story bro material out of the way, this isn't a perfect match. It's been mentioned that a "World" champion like Lawler probably shouldn't be constantly using foreign objects just to maintain an advantage. But the opening stallfest actually does have Lawler demonstrating some skills in actually outsmarting the babyface Jarrett, which was nice to see. The punches are all Lawler punches, and I'd forgotten about Lawler's use of the Von Erich claw just to be a dick. Jarrett's comeback is pretty awesome--Jeff's stuff is fairly basic but Lawler bumps huge for it. There's a big tease that Tony Falk will re-reverse the decision, but Lawler & Gossett take both of them out before it can happen. Bill Dundee temporarily evens the odds before Terry Garvin and a new-look Dirty White Boys (Alex Porteau, I believe, replacing Denton) put a beatdown on everyone. Honestly the heel beatdown isn't all that thrilling, though a rowdy fan certainly thought so, and Ronnie P. Gossett executing a big splash was another moment that stuck with me.

 

Marc Lowrance, who I really came to enjoy as the '80s WCCW set wore on and especially during the Embry/Devastation Inc. feud, is a month or so away from entering priesthood and sometimes sounds like he's crossing the days off the calendar. That said, his sort of resigned irritation with Lawler's antics and the end result of the match is amusing, and he did provide a great classic Lowrance call, "AND NOW THAT FAT SLOB IS CHOKING OUT JEFF JARRETT!"

 

This probably doesn't hold up to the very best post-'80s Memphis stuff, but it was something I was really glad to see after being a match seemingly lost to history.

[Loss]

Lawler grabs the mic and offers Jarrett a chance to leave the ring and save himself a butt kicking, but Jarrett isn't interested. I love Lawler, I really do, but I've had enough of him grabbing the house mic during matches. Fun match with Lawler breaking out a clawhold! If we're being fair, one thing that really bugs me about Lawler is the disconnect between his promos and how he wrestles, at least as a heel. He's able to convince me that he is the best in the world as a heel. Then he wrestles matches like any other midcard stooge, makes stupid displays of overconfidence and has no real offense. He's a guy I really prefer as a babyface, as it neutralizes all of these things. I love heel Lawler promos, but his matches are too focused around stalling, cutting promos and hiding chains. It starts to feel like if you've seen one match, you have seen them all. He plays the crowd like a fiddle, so I don't want this to come across as overly negative. I am just ready for the coming babyface turn.

[Dylan Waco]

Every single criticism made of Lawler as a heel here can and has been made of Flair.

[PeteF3]

I don't know if that's quite the case.

 

- I've never known Flair to use a chain or other foreign object throughout the match the way Lawler has typically done. Flair busted out foreign objects all the time, but it was almost exclusively for the finish only. (The only exception I can think of is WM8, but that was a near-fall false finish). There's a difference between using brass knucks as a last-ditch desperation hail mary pass and having to use them to gain or maintain any kind of advantage at all.

 

- Lawler doesn't seem to have any offensive weapon in his arsenal that looms over the match the way Flair's figure four does. For all the shit Flair pulled to kill his own finisher, the threat of Flair going to town on an opponent's knee and figure-four-ing him until he screamed for mercy persisted. I don't think anyone bought the flying fistdrop as a killer finisher and the piledriver isn't pushed in USWA TX half as hard as Paul Orndorff's version was in the WWF. You could lay that fault at the hands of the bookers and announcers but I know for a fact that Marc Lowrance knew how to get the piledriver over as a killer move.

 

- I'm entertained by Ronald P. Gossett IV and it's not like his alliance with Lawler was particularly long-lived, but talk about a guy who screams "mid/undercard manager." He was an entertaining joke character, but still a joke. It's roughly akin to Flair aligning himself with Frenchy Martin.

 

- Flair did more to put his opponents over outside the ring than Lawler--this is a criticism I have of Lawler as a heel announcer as well. He gets dangerously close to burying his opponents at times. Entertainingly so, but in the long run claiming guys like Jarrett and Dundee and Cobra and Kerry all had zero talent doesn't really do much to get anybody in the promotion over. Lawler's stubborn steadfast refusal to EVER give the babyface credit for anything wore very thin with me when he was announcing and while I don't consider him bad, it's enough for me to put him squarely behind Heenan, Ventura, and Cornette--and now I'm seeing that problem date back before he was doing full-time commentary. Flair expresses confidence that he's better than his opponent. Lawler expresses confidence that his opponent is a no-talent joke.

 

I love Lawler and I love Flair, and it's not like Flair doesn't do things that grate on me. But, I don't think they're perfectly in sync with what Lawler does that grates on me.

[Loss]

Every single criticism made of Lawler as a heel here can and has been made of Flair.

I have never seen Flair cut promos during a match or play hide-the-chain, and he's not really a big staller. He does give his opponents too much, but he's also far more aggressive in the ring than Lawler. The same criticisms about not wrestling strong enough can be applied, yes, but at least Flair kept the match moving.

 

With Lawler, the problem isn't really similar to some with Flair, where he's simply outclassed by his opponent, gives him too much of the match, sells the same for everyone regardless of card placement, etc. With Lawler, it's not that he gives his opponents too much of the match. It's more that he doesn't give off the image of anyone who is any more fundamentally sound in the ring than Terrence Garvin, which we know isn't true. Lawler doesn't ever really hit the mat, or execute a move, or ... "wrestle" very much at all. He throws punches and hides a chain. I know that's not a popular opinion, but it's hard to watch these matches and not acknowledge that.

 

I agree with everything Pete said.

[goodhelmet]

Hiding the chain is awesome. On the 80s Texas set, Lawler hiding the chain was a thing of beauty. If this match is anything like that, I imagine I would like it just as much.

[soup23]

Match was ok but seemed like one of the lesser USWA schtick matches so far. Ending beatdown is ok but features three really cool moments: 1. a rowdy fan wanting to get a piece of the action and having to be restrained by about 5 cops 2. Ronnie Gossett fatman splash and Lowerance subsequent call and 3. which I can't believe it has been mentioned but the babyface turn of Bill Joe Mfing Travis who breaks a guitar to the delight of the Texas fans. Pretty good match, really awesome moment with Travis turning.

[shoe]

I'm all for the Lawler grab the microphone with the Jimmy Valiants, at spot shows, guys who don't have a lot in the tank. When working Jarrett you feel they really could have a real strong match with Lawler getting heat putting the boots to Jarrett while he sells dramatically. Lawler bumping for Jarrett's comeback. Instead we got what we got which is good, but with the talent involved we could have had a really strong match.

[Kevin Ridge]

Lawler tries to give Jarrett the option of backing out of the match. Jerry showing off his Fargo strut. He’s having fun and getting on the mic again trying to ask Jarrett if he wants to avoid wrestling match. Back from commercial and Lawler already has a chain in his fist. He gets on the Von Erich Claw also. Jarrett gets the chain at the end and knocks Lawler out for the three. But he stupidly raises his hands right in front of the ref withe chain around his fist. Easy for ref to reverse the decision. Big heel beatdown of Jarrett and Dundee. Billy Jo Travis comes to the aid. I’m not remembering his face turn nor liking this change.

[Cox]

I think the main difference between the heel Lawler and the babyface Lawler characters is that heel Lawler isn't incapable, but just lazy. Any fan who has seen Lawler wrestle as a babyface knows what he can do, but when he's not working for the adoration of the crowd, he kinda doesn't give a fuck, and that's why he resorts to chains, cheating, and general dickishness. Maybe that's also a sign of Lawler the wrestler also being lazier as a heel, but that's the way I see his wrestling character as a heel; capable, but not looking to impress anybody, so it's nothing but shortcuts.

 

Anyway, this was a good match, but nothing I'll remember a week from now. Why is Billy Joe Travis a babyface now? That doesn't seem to make a bit of sense, not only because we haven't seen a babyface turn, but because he's an incredible heel.

[garretta]

Marc mentioned something about Gossett hitting Travis during a match the previous week, so there's at least a partial explanation for the turn.

 

This is getting dangerously close to killing Dallas. Since none of the Memphis title changes are apparently recognized there, they've had matches similar to this since SuperClash III, with Lawler displaying next to no skill whatsoever, spending endless amounts of time on the mic, and saving his title through every last technicality in the rulebook, with not even the Von Erichs able to do much about it. it doesn't help when they book Jeff, of all people, as too stupid to come in out of the rain. Raising your hands in victory while the chain you used to knock out Lawler is still on one of them? You can't tell me he forgot that he still had it ten seconds after he used it. It's just ridiculous, as was the endless beatdown of Jeff and Dundee, complete with splashes by Gossett. I guess the fans are supposed to believe in Billy Joe Travis now, but he's no bigger or more skilled than Jeff, and look what happened to him. If I'd been a Metroplex wrestling fan at the time, I'd have checked out the Rangers.

 

I'll miss Marc; he'd have been a good replacement for Lance on the Memphis side had circumstances been different. I loved how his disgust grew as the idiotic beatdown wore on and on, and also as Gossett manhandled Jeff. I wonder if Papa Jarrett tried to arrange for Dave Brown to have the night off from WMC on Fridays so he could fly to Dallas and do color? I think the Dallas fans would have taken to him just like the Memphis fans did.

 

Anyway, I'm starting to see why Papa Jarrett abandoned Dallas before too much longer. The problem is, he probably didn't see that he and Lawler caused their own problems with their laziness and total lack of respect for the Dallas fans. I see from reading some of the threads from later in the set that they tried to turn Lawler in Dallas before the end of the year, but it seems to me to be a case of too little, too late.

[Loss]

Jarrett didn't abandon Dallas on his own volition. He was forced out by Kevin Von Erich after losing TV.

[garretta]

Thanks, Loss. Whatever the reason he ultimately left, finishes like this sure didn't help.

[drew wardlaw]

Man this match is long. Hahahah Lawler just busted out the claw! I think this is my ignorance, but I find it's hard to judge Lawler matches as actual matches rather than segments. It seems to miss the point. But again, I think I'm just missing the point.

[dawho5]

Not a big fan of heel Lawler matches, but this is passable. Just don't care for the whole schtick and agree with Loss and Pete on why. Maybe it IS laziness, or maybe it's just how heel Lawler put over all of the way-under-par guys he had to make look like real challenges. It worked to a point, but it wears on me nonetheless.