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[1990-06-30-USWA-Memphis TV] Jerry Lawler vs Leon Spinks / Interview: Jerry Lawler


Loss

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  • 2 months later...

Lawler takes exception to Snowman interfering and punches him in the face. Snowman finally runs in, giving Spinks a devastating technical loss. I think they've done the double turn now, even though the studio crowd still seems a little skeptical of Lawler.

 

Lawler does his best promo in a while. This Monday night, there will be no referee in the ring, considering all of their problems with referees in the past. Lawler calls Snowman's entourage his Welfare Stooges.

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Yes, this was one of my most anticipated matches of the set. It's only the last couple of minutes but it seriously lives up to the billing. Spinks actually comes across as competent from what we see, selling well and throwing good-looking punches. Snowman interferes as Lawler has Spinks on the ropes in round 5, and Lawler is double teamed afterward. As much as a fuck-up as he was it's still absolutely astounding to see a former world boxing champion work a glorified indy show and doing it as a heel of all things, needing to be bailed out by a crony.

 

Lawler in studio starts off doing a full-fledged babyface promo and ramps it up from there, referring to Snowman as someone who belongs in the audience buying tickets to see him and to his posse as a bunch of welfare stooges.

 

"Hey, when are you due back in the display window at Woolworth's?" 1990!

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  • 3 weeks later...
  • 4 weeks later...

So we are in round 5. Lawler dropping the fist off the turnbuckle. A boxer off his feet can’t be good. Spinks is wearing his boxing gloves. Snowman’s puts Spinks foot on the ropes to break a count. Lawler is beating him up until Snowman gets involved. Spinks pulled punches didn’t look too good. Total heel beatdown.

 

Dave Brown is back. Lawler talks about Spinks making a boxing comeback. Lawler challenges Snowman to a match with no referee.

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  • 1 year later...

This is the type of beatdown I was calling for last week, and the sides are finally where they should be, at least for most of the fans (there are still a few Snowman supporters out there, but not many).

 

Lawler must be back in face mode, because he actually gives Spinks credit for hitting him hard, although Spinks isn't even on offense for the short bit of the match we see.

 

Pete referenced up above what a comedown it is for the man to beat Muhammad Ali to not only have to work a wrestling match as a heel, but to be bailed out by a wrestler. I would add to that being a throwaway in your own match, as he'll now be forgotten about as quickly as he came in. He's certainly not talked about today in the same terms as some of Lawler's other famous non-wrestling feud partners (Andy Kaufman, Adam West, and William Shatner, just to name three).

 

I don't recall seeing any other Snowman matches on the set, although I know he keeps the belt and wrestles for the USWA throughout the summer. Was this a case of him simply not having good enough matches to be included, or was this more a case of Lawler (as always) remaining the focal point of Memphis wrestling whether he held a belt or not?

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I don't recall seeing any other Snowman matches on the set, although I know he keeps the belt and wrestles for the USWA throughout the summer. Was this a case of him simply not having good enough matches to be included, or was this more a case of Lawler (as always) remaining the focal point of Memphis wrestling whether he held a belt or not?

 

The latter. Wait till you see some of the jokers Snowman has to defend against once the Lawler feud ends.

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  • 1 year later...
  • 8 months later...

This is the ‘boxer vs wrestler’ bout from Mid-South Coliseum, with The Snowman in Leon Spinks’ corner and we join the action in ‘Round Five’. ‘The King’ hits two fist drops on Spinks and makes the cover, but The Snowman puts his foot over the bottom rope to break the count. Lawler goes outside and the two exchange stares before Lawler drops him with a right. He goes back in the ring to continue the match with Spinks but it’s not long before The Snowman interferes again, this time getting in the ring himself and attacking ‘The King’ for the DQ. The two of them proceed to double team him, each taking turns to knock Lawler to the canvas then lifting him back to his feet to let the other have a shot.

 

We return to the studio and Jerry Lawler is sat with Dave Brown. Dave says that there was no doubt about it, there was outside interference from The Snowman in that match. Lawler says that he isn’t going to take anything away from Leon Spinks. He’s seen George Foreman, who is older than him make a return to the ring, and he’s going to make a comeback himself. He can also testify that he still hits hard! What makes things unfair though is when you are in there with a man who has defeated Muhammad Ali, and you have to deal with The Snowman (who is again in the audience) as well. Lawler is convinced that Spinks and The Snowman spoke before the match and came to some sort of agreement that if he was in trouble, The Snowman would come to his rescue. He’s been in that situation before and should know what to expect from a jerk like The Snowman. It’s broken down to one more match, and in all there other meetings, both sides were never happy with the referee; one would be happy with the official, be it Jerry Calhoun, ‘Big’ Lou Winston. Kerry Von Erich or Leon Spinks, but the other would not be. As a result, this time there will be no referee in the ring. The referee will be on the outside and will only enter the ring to count the pin, and one man will then leave the true undisputed champion. There will be no excuses, there won’t be anyone else to blame, and The Snowman won’t have anything to cry about after it. ‘The King’ then turn his attention to the ‘welfare stooges’ who are sat with The Snowman, and says how all of his cronies don’t impress him. He also wonders when one of them is back in Woolworths with that suit he’s wearing!

 

The match was nowhere near as bad as I was expecting as Spinks sold well when we joined the action and threw a believable looking punch in the post-match attack. Considering I was fearing the worst after seeing his interview, there wasn’t much wrong with this at all. The interview certainly gives the impression that Lawler has turned face with his acknowledgement and putting over of Spinks (and I’m guessing The Snowman interference and post-match attack and double team is the indication he’s now a heel). It does feel like they’ve have turned several times already in this feud, when I this is in fact the first time.

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  • 1 month later...
  • GSR changed the title to [1990-06-30-USWA-Memphis TV] Jerry Lawler vs Leon Spinks / Interview: Jerry Lawler

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