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[1990-10-06-USWA-Memphis TV] Jeff Jarrett and Eddie Gilbert


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  • 2 months later...

Jarrett is quickly and mercifully interrupted by Eddie Gilbert. I love that everyone is wearing suits on this episode. Gilbert GOES THERE, pointing out that the reason Jeff Jarrett is so loved is that his dad pays everyone's salary. Things get heated, and Gilbert is phenomenal here because he's so convinced that he's right. They start taking off their jackets and the studio crowd is really getting into this. Jarrett responds that maybe Eddie's problem is that he's going through a divorce! Wow. Gilbert finally decks him and nails him with his shoe. Jarrett's white shirt is eventually covered in blood and this brawl is AWESOME. One of the best segments of the year in any promotion. Fantastic stuff, and I'm excited to see all the Jarrett/Gilbert matches ahead of us on the '90 and '91 yearbooks. I think this may be my USWA segment of the year.

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Jarrett recaps what happened in the round-robin tournament, where he and Gilbert each cost the other the #1 seed. He's also captured the Southern title from Dick Slater. Eddie Gilbert, ALSO wearing a suit, which I love, comes out and rebuts and at first he's doing it in a calm, rational manner. His anger slowly builds, and even though he actually gives Jeff some props about how he earned his spot, he points out that Jerry Jarrett is signing people's paychecks (including Dave Brown, who only mentioned Jeff's Rookie of the Year Award and not Eddie's). Jarrett hits a verbal low blow of his own, pointing out that Gilbert's walked out on Memphis before and couldn't cut it in the NWA, then brings up his divorce! Holy shit! The personal shot is too much for Eddie, who sucker-punches Jarrett and then unloads on him with his dress shoe with some real stiff shots that bust Jeff open. Jeff does a gigantic bladejob and an unbelievably intense brawl breaks out that gets broken up and re-started a few times.

 

Wow, wow, wow. I had no idea that the Lawler/Snowman incident could be topped, but I think it has been. This really had everything that angle had except that Gilbert and Jarrett are both miles ahead of Snowman as a talker. It had elements of real life, realistic shoot-style brawling, and even the same "shades of gray." Sucker-punch aside, Gilbert isn't a typical cowardly Memphis heel at ALL here--he's a guy who has a real point of view that he BELIEVES, and a point of view that maybe some people can actually relate to. Jarrett isn't nearly as strong on the mic but in no way does he come off as a legitimate Erik Watts/George Gulas type product of nepotism. THAT'S "shades of gray" booking, not Vince Russo bullshit where nobody actually has any point of view. A lot of Memphis studio brawls can be rather contrived and obvious, but the low-keyness of the early part of this segment made the sucker punch and brawl a legitimate surprise and something that came off naturally--an argument that legitimately got out of hand, rather than an excuse for cheap fighting.

 

I've gone on about this and probably could go on even longer. I could be reading more into this than I should but I'm actually legitimately glad the car angle was a failure if it led to more booking like this. The car was all about shock value and this is all about real people in conflict. Maybe the single best non-match portion of this Yearbook.

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Russo just didn't get it. His focus was on "shooting". Obviously, Russo sucked, but he sucks even more for creating a wrestling environment where people are afraid to inject reality into wrestling angles because that's Russo-like. Of course his other bad habits are picked up without hesitation. But I'll stop before I take this off topic. This is the right way to make a segment feel more "real", because the things they are discussing are relatable. I agree that this was a phenomenal segment.

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Well, the thing about these Memphis angles is that it's all about Guys Wanting Titles--period. Honestly the Adams/Austin feud is closer to Russo territory since Austin and Jeannie's goals are a little less clear, but at least there a.) the characters of all involved are consistent, and b.) it's building to grudge matches (or...MATCHES, period), if not titles.

 

Without getting too far outside of 1990, here's hoping CM Punk--who seems to get it as much as the guys in Memphis do in these segments--can make reality cool again.

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Fuck what an amazing segment that took me by surprise. I was expecting another good typical heated promo with maybe some shoving but they each started dropping bombs at each other and Jarrett hits a gusher. I agree that the key to this really working is that Gilbert is so justified in what he is saying and also that the shoot comments came out organically instead of trying to be smart to the crowd. Amazing episode of USWA.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Jarrett lost by count out due to Gilbert interference so Jeff went back and cost Eddie his match. Jeff lists some of the previous Southern Heavyweight champions. Gilbert is wearing a suit also. Everyone all dressed up. Things get real personal between them as Gilbert thinks his Jerry Jarrett is pulling strings for his son. Gilbert ends up clocking Jarrett with a roundhouse punch. I loved that Eddie’s clip on tie flew during the punch. Jarrett is real bloodied up and this turns into a hockey style fight with blows. Clothes get ripped apart and Jarrett’s blood is all over he two of them. Awesome heated segment.

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  • 3 months later...
  • 1 year later...

This was a tremendous segment. I don't know if it was as chaotic as Lawler/Snowman, but it came from just as real a place. Gilbert's always had a lumberyard on his shoulder, so it makes sense that he'd be jealous of someone like Jeff, who's now got a belt that Eddie's never won. For his part, Jeff comes off a bit like the son of the boss in the way he rather coolly waves Eddie out of his interview, which only makes things worse. We all know that there's also bad blood between Eddie's dad Tommy and Jeff's grandpa Eddie Marlin; they even had a cowboy boot match on the 80s set that was quite good coming from a couple of old guys, as I recall. As a result, this whole thing feels rather inevitable. Jeff ends up bloodied, and they meet in two days during the USWA tournament in a match that we have, so we'll be able to see the next chapter unfold.

 

I honestly didn't know that Eddie and Missy were divorcing at this time, which would explain why they weren't working together. I don't know if Eddie was expecting Jeff's dig about the divorce or not, but even if he was, he's hotheaded enough to go off like he did regardless.

 

Amazingly enough, each gives the other props about how skilled they are, nepotism aside. and that adds another layer: Eddie believes that Jeff has legit skills, so it frustrates him all the more to see Jeff hiding behind his family (or so he thinks). Much like Lawler/Gilbert, this has a real-life, out-of-the-ring element that scripted "shoot" angles can't match. For all we know, this might have been a legitimate gripe of Eddie's, at least at one time.

 

Strictly from a performance basis, Jake/Martel on the Brother Love Show beats this, but that's almost an unfair comparison considering that Jake's one of the most incredible angle performers that this sport has ever seen or will ever see. For realism and angle development, though, this is the interview segment of the year so far, even better than the Lawler/Snowman stuff (mostly because two seasoned performers bring their best, as opposed to Lawler pretty much carrying Snowman).

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  • GSR changed the title to [1990-10-06-USWA-Memphis TV] Jeff Jarrett and Eddie Gilbert

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