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[1990-10-08-USWA-World Title Tournament] Terry Funk vs Jerry Lawler


Loss

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  • 2 months later...

This is too one-sided to be a really good match, but it's a really fun spectacle. Funk brutalizes Lawler, who bumps all over the place for him. Funk goes on a rampage piledriving referees, ending with a Lawler piledriver to really make him the underdog going into the finals. Gilbert comes in to make an honorary three-count on Lawler, but Lawler keeps kicking out, and this wraps up with a big two-on-one attack and a pair of spike piledrivers. Lawler advances to the finals by DQ.

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PIG! PIG! PIG! DAMN YOU, PIG! All while unleashing some incredible punches. Lawler does not get in one single offensive move, but Funk levels both Frank Morrell and Paul Neighbors with piledrivers, then hits one on Lawler. Eddie Gilbert comes in and tries to count Lawler out, but Lawler keeps kicking out anyway! A spike piledriver finally puts Lawler down for a fast "3-count" (with what looks like an ignored rope break). Whether it goes in that direction or not Funk is pretty much cemented as the #1 challenger to the title once the tournament is over.

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I don't think until this match I have ever called a squash match a great match. That has changed. Funk gives Lawler a beatdown for the ages with brutal punches and shots. Funk yells at him throughout all of this and Lawler's bumps are predictably great. This ends with Funk saying fuck it and laying out the ref and then Lawler. Gilbert comes in to count him out but Lawler kicks out showing a glimpse of resilience. Still, Jerry has the deck stacked against him heading into the final vs. Idol. Funk looked like a monster here.

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This tournament illustrates perfectly how great Funk could be without having a single great match. Those punches on the outside made me cringe, with Lawler doing a great job of selling them with little facial expressions and verbal cues. A lot of guys suck at talking at talking during matches, but Funk's pig monologue absolutely added to his unhinged act. I also loved Lawler instinctively fighting back at the end, even with Gilbert counting the falls.

 

This and the Brickhouse Brown match were master-class Terry Funk. I can't imagine giving any other wrestler a script with the same settings and the same motions and getting this level of performance.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Funk pops Lawler in the face big time on the outside of the ring. Those punches sound awesome. Funk is laying in the haymakers. Oh Terry! He’s completely destroying Lawler and then decides to beat up the referees. Well, he is crazy. Funk piledrives Lawler and Gilbert pretends to count but Lawler kicks out. Spike piledriver on Lawler who is not going to be a in good shape for the final. Match was going great and then we got a silly finish.

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  • 2 years later...

Just an incredible beating by Funk here, just as brutal as anything he ever did with weapons or in hardcore bouts. It's perfectly obvious from the get-go that's he's not out to win the title; he's out to beat Lawler to within an inch of his life, and he does just that. Everyone else in the arena is collateral damage. I thought when I read about Lawler not getting a single offensive move that it was an exaggeration, but it's absolutely true. When Eddie comes out to try and play referee, the collusion is obvious. The only thing we're left wondering is why Eddie didn't go to these lengths sooner.

 

As for the finish being silly, they had two choices given the booking: either a third referee counts the pin on Lawler and the MSC gets torched, or what we ended up with. This match was never designed to mean anything in and of itself; it was only meant to give Lawler an injury going into the final. They could have booked a Mack truck to come into the ring and run Lawler over for all the difference it was supposed to make.

 

Joe had it right on commentary, whether he finished the word or not: Terry and Eddie are both glorious chickenshits. He and Craig were perfect at putting over the chaos all around them while somehow managing to not get hurt themselves, which was quite an accomplishment considering Terry's mood. Now we have Lawler/Idol in the finals, which means that the chaos should keep right on going. I can't wait!

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  • 1 year later...

This was incredible. Funk's "Pig" stuff and the punches were totally unbelievable. And Lawler's selling through all of this was just as good. The instincts kicking in at the end. I don't know where 1990 Jerry Lawler ranks in terms of his best work, but I can't imagine how he could be any better.

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  • 11 months later...

I watched this months ago and still remember it. Funk is completely and totally insane, what a great great performance. That Lawler's sympathetic babyface performance here is overshadowed says a lot. It's one of Lawler's two biggest strengths and Funk can just overwhelm it like it's nothing.

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  • 7 months later...
You want to watch a great squash match? Watch this shit.


Terry Funk brutalizes and murders Lawler here, who hardly gets anything in return and it's glorious to watch. It starts out with Funk kicking the crap out of Lawler as soon as the bell sounds. Funk is hilarious here as he's commentating as he's thrieung Jerry around.


"Into the television table" "And now he's picking up the stairs....into the stairs goes Jerry the king Lawler courtesy of Terry Funk"


"PIG! PIG! PIG! DAMN YOU, PIG!"


Funk throws some fucking wonderful punches in this. I mean, really brutal, I thought he'd broke Jerry's nose with one as the thud of the punch was LOUD. He's just beating the shit out of him with punches and Lawler can't do a thing about it.


Those punches are a thing of beauty.


Funk continues to narrate his attacks on Lawler throughout this and is just going fucking crazy. He ends up piledriving referrees too lol before hitting Jerry with one. Lawler is taking the beating of his life here but you can't help but still be on Funk's side as he's just far too good. Match ends up in a DQ but fuck was it a fabulous squash to watch.


Seriously, go and drop everything and watch this shit.

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  • GSR changed the title to [1990-10-08-USWA-World Title Tournament] Terry Funk vs Jerry Lawler

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