Jerry "The King" Lawler

[Loss]

The bigger philosophical stuff has been moved to a thread in the main folder. Please continue the discussion there.

[Tim Evans]

I've watched a ton of 90's Memphis over the years and Lawler is easily the best week to week wrestler I've ever seen. He's not the best technical wrestler but week in and week out, he was consistant. In interviews, , squash matches, the clips that they aired on tv of Mid South Coiseum matches etc. He had to face some guys that were truly awful like Jeff Gaylord, Todd Champion, Max Payne and the list goes on. I'm going to have a hard time not making him number 1 but I got a lot of Japan to watch. It's between him and Savage.

[Matt D]

I've watched a ton of 90's Memphis over the years and Lawler is easily the best week to week wrestler I've ever seen.

Have you seen Buddy Rose week to week in 79-81? Just curious.

[Alan4L]

I've read a ton about what folks on PWO love about Lawler and have tried to see it for myself, but don't. Can't see him ranking for me.

 

I'm sorta in the same boat. Not going to close the book on him though by any means. He's going to be one of my priority guys as far as watching stuff goes for this project.

[Matt D]

I think what might be useful would be a watching party like done for the 80s sets with some people who love Lawler and some who don't get him watching at the same time on the same line.

[MJH]

Lawler's like the ultimate minimalist (and I'm a maximalist). Memphis doesn't connect with me as it does Will, for instance. Perhaps that a cultural thing; more likely it's a personal taste thing. That being said, I can definitely appreciate Lawler's work, and do regard him pretty highly. I think some of the Lawler pimping is hyperbolic (the Harley match was the Harley show, for instance, and you only need to watch a handful of Harley's matches to know whose spots were whose) but of all the guys whose stock has risen with people in the last ten years, except perhaps Buddy Rose (though I have more Portland than Memphis to watch), I'm most glad for Lawler's reappraisal. Right now, I'm looking at him in the 35-50 range, though that can certainly change and, like Alan, he's one of the guys I've singled out as a priority to get a thorough handling on, so there'll be more to come in this thread as I get through various matches/feuds.

[BillThompson]

Possible top 10, maybe even top 5. I used to be one of those folks who didn't get the Lawler love, but the more I see the more I love the way Lawler works. He's super engaging, as a heel or a babyface, and he's more than capable of carrying lesser wrestlers to great heights. I'd say he's athletic to boot, which when combined with his in-ring smarts makes for one of the best wrestlers of all time.

[BillThompson]

Something that I'm not sure has been touched on in this thread is how Lawler's twilight years add to his credentials. Post-2000 Lawler is a treat to watch in the ring. He's regularly the best part of the show he's on, showing how expertly he knows his limitations. He mixes in some flashier stuff now and then, but for the most part he sticks to working simple and making his opponents look great. Lawler was just outside my top 10 before I started watching his post-2000 stuff, but now he's in my top 5 and making a run for the number one spot.

[funkdoc]

I think what might be useful would be a watching party like done for the 80s sets with some people who love Lawler and some who don't get him watching at the same time on the same line.

 

something like synchtube (http://synchtube.6irc.net) would work really well for this though i don't know if unregistered users can chat. they could on the original synchtube that went down, so i would imagine the same should be true here

 

and obviously it's not going to work for footage you can only get on will's sets or what have you

[DylanZero]

Not only does he work smart for himself, as has been alluded to, he made damn near every single person that stepped in the ring with him look better than they actually were. I'm very much looking forward to looking back at his stuff for entertainment value. He's the man. No doubt about it.

[DR Ackermann]

Following up on what Bill said about old man Lawler, everyone has seen the TLC match with Miz, right? Has Miz had a better match than that?

[jackwebb]

Following up on what Bill said about old man Lawler, everyone has seen the TLC match with Miz, right? Has Miz had a better match than that?

I think his falls count anywhere match against Morrison on RAW was his best match.

[NintendoLogic]

I consider Miz's match with Daniel Bryan at Night of Champions to be his best.

 

I thought the Lawler/Miz matches were worked well, but they weren't worked smart. Having the world champion be so thoroughly outclassed by a part-timer twice his age did even more damage to the title than putting it on Miz in the first place. If they were going to go that far in making Miz look like a weak and undeserving champion, they should've given Lawler a cup of coffee run with the belt for a feel-good moment.

[Shining Wiz]

Maybe someone should nominate Miz?

[Shining Wiz]

Got my hands on a chunk of 1983 Memphis tv.....I'll check back in with my thoughts on Lawler after.

[goc]

I would have had an all time markout moment if Lawler had won the title in that TLC match. At least it would have been better than the terrible ending we did get, even if he gets screwed out of the title the next night.

 

Regardless of that however, Lawler is my #1 and it would take a hell of an argument to push someone else into that spot. I guess in the "minimalist vs. maximist" debate I would firmly put myself in the minimalist camp and Lawler really is "The King" there. He could get a good match out of just about anyone, and most of the time he did. Also one of the best, if not the best, promo guy of all time. Was involved in some all time classic feuds & angles, some of which he booked himself. So factoring in the whole package, including being the anchor of the only territory that survived the territory era, I can't see anyone beating him out for #1 if I were to really do a list.

[goodhelmet]

I wrote this up awhile back but the old board's posting issues made it near impossible to post. I tweaked a couple of things but it still holds true today. If you think Lawler is all about the great punching and the piledriver finish, you simply haven't been paying attention. If his style of wrestling isn't for you, i won't argue (we all like different shit) but it would be hard for me to take you seriously as a wrestling fan.

 

 

 

BIGGEST BUMPER:
This cannot be dismissed. He may not bump big in every single TV Match but he has been taking big bumps for decades. In the 1970s, we have footage of him falling down a flight of bleachers or taking the LeDuc bump on the table. In the 1980s, he was taking insane back bumps on the apron, on the floor, and really nutty bumps outside on tables in one of the big Savage matches. He also took the nutty bleacher fall in the 1985 Dundee LLT. In the 1990s, the one that comes to mind is in the Goldust brawl where he rolls the entire length of the ramp after a lights out nasty brawl. In the 2000s, he took insane bumps against Shane Helms and Kamala. I also have to give him props for surviving the non-gimmicked table against Mark Henry in 2011. He is also one of the greatest ring post bumpers in history, like teeth shattering great. When Lawler gets posted, you never think that he did not take the brunt of the impact. Seriously, nobody bumps bigger than Lawler when it is important enough to bump big whether it is a huge arena, a gym for the local indy or the occasional TV shot. If you don’t think Lawler isn’t one of the biggest, if not the biggest, bumpers in wrestling history, you haven’t been paying attention. Until a few months ago, when Phil Schneider pointed it out to me, I never gave him credit for bumping either.

 

As a heel, the idea that Lawler has to feed the babyfaces offense through bumping is a narrow-sighted way of viewing wrestling. I like formula wrestling as much as the next guy but not every match needs to fit in the construct of one formula. When we watched the AWA tags, they did not fit the strict Southern tag FIP formula but they made it work within the territory and the tag matches were high end. I love Ric Flair matches but the criticisms of Flair playing the bitch stem from his bumping for opponents and feeding the babyfaces at all costs. If you want heel Lawler bumping around like a pinball, feeding the faces, watch the 1970s footage. Shoe can back me up on this. The next time Lawler plays heel is in his 40s. Bumping is a young mans game and if Lawler does not feed every opponent some offense during the match to save for the big bump, I am fine with that. One of the things about a Lawler bump is that when he does take a bump, it usually will set up a transition and Lawler is a master at transitions in matches. As a face, Lawler bumps pretty huge throughout his career to allow the heel to take control but nobody is disputing that.

 

 

SELLING
I was watching the famous 1981 Lawler vs. Funk match the other day and one of the things that really stands out is Lawler selling. When Funk takes out the leg, you think it was 1979 again and it was broken all over. However, when Funk takes too long to get the chair back, Lawler moves and wallops Funk’s leg with the chair. I love Randy Savage selling the leg but he’ll sell the leg the whole match, bodyslam, hit the big elbow and limp off. With Lawler, he’ll sell long enough to know that damage was done but not too long if the attack wasn’t sufficient for long term selling. This isn’t to dismiss Lawler selling long term. I will refer to Phil Schneider…

 

“Lawler in contrast is really amazing at long term selling, his bumps really are much bigger as the match goes on, and he is spectacular at digging down for one last shot.”

 

In a short match, like a concession stand brawl, there is not much long term selling because the adrenaline in the fight keeps the guys going and the best brawls usually involve great short term selling like my example above. However, when Lawler goes long against Bockwinkel, Race, Dundee, whoever… he really does express the toll the accumulated damage has done to him. He doesn’t always sell the body part long term but his facial expressions and mannerisms always convey the amount of punishment he took in the fight. My favorite Lawler selling moment is the 1985 Lawler – Dundee LLT. Lawler comes in with a bandage, Dundee attacks and Lawler sells each moment of damage. Knowing he was injured, Lawler fights valiantly but comes up short and it cost him in the end.

BEST PUNCHER IN HISTORY:

I think I will let Phil Schneider say why Lawler is the best puncher in wrestling history…

 

“Of course one of the great things about any Lawler matches is the punches, and they are amazing. Jabs, uppercuts, straight rights, hooks, punches on his knees, punches from the mount, diving punches, jumping punches. Lawler has more variety on his shots than anyone, ever, and they all rule.”

 

“We always talk about Lawler's punches but he may be the greatest mounted punches in the corner puncher of all time. That is a spot that is almost always bad looking, but Lawler looks like he is killing people. “

 

Lawler was so great at punching and his lack of moves even started an awesome angle with Nick Bockwinkel. When I hear somebody complain that all he does is punch, I automatically have Bock’s voice in my head in that condescending tone challenging Lawler to a match where each punch will cost him $500. Lawler does not have a lot of moves in his repertoire. He has a back body drop, a body slam, the occasional DDT, the super leg drop, the sunset flip pin, a horrible Stunner (the lowest point of touring indy Lawler), and a suplex or two. Who gives a shit how many moves Lawler performs in a match? If Lawler does three variations of the punches that Phil described, that is good enough for me. If you want moves for the sake of moves, watch Dragon Gate. If you want matwork for the sake of matwork (although Lawler can get on the mat sometimes) go watch a New Japan juniors match. I compare it to preferring Exile on Main Street to some Euro-trash synth pop. Some prefer a garage band, others prefer a 20 piece horn section, 6 backup singers and a flute. I like both.

 

 

FEUDS
Nobody carries a feud better or longer than Lawler. There is a reason that Lawler v Funk or Lawler v Idol or Lawler v Dreamer can carry weight a decade or two or three after the initial feud even though they didn’t last for decades like the Lawler-Dundee feud. I have made this list before but I will make it again…

 

Lawler vs. Dundee… 4 decades

Lawler vs. Fargo… 1970s

Lawler vs. Funk… 1981

Lawler vs. Dutch / Lawler vs. Kaufman / Lawler vs. Bock… 1982

Lawler vs. Jimmy Hart… 1980 through 1984

Lawler vs. Savage… 1984 through 1985

Lawler & Dutch vs. Bill & Buddy… 1986

Lawler vs. Tommy Rich & Austin Idol… 1987

Lawler vs. Hennig… 1988

Lawler vs. One Legged Kerry… 1988

Lawler vs. Snowman… 1990

Lawler & Jarrett vs. Moondogs… 1992

Lawler vs. WWF… 1993

Lawler vs. ECW… 1997

 

 

CARRYING BROOMSTICKS

Like other territory guys, Lawler has had to draw houses against some truly abysmal wrestlers. More impressive, he has also had career matches with guys that have never reached those peaks again. The King Kong Bundy $10,000 Challenge match is probably Bundy’s highlight match. Then Lawler and Savage had killer tag matches with a very green Rick Rude and Bundy. Who else besides Savage and Lawler could have carried these guys to this peak this early in those guys’ career? The Bam Bam Bigelow Texas Death match is the best singles Bam Bam match I have ever seen and it is even more impressive considering Bam Bam was a rookie at the time. I can’t think of another singles Bam Bam match that even approaches the greatness of that one match. In 1987, the Austin Idol match in the cage was a great match regardless of the memorable outcome and has to be the highlight in Idol’s career. Idol has had other great matches but with guys on Lawler’s level, never with someone in the B or C class of wrestlers. Kerry Von Erich was a great wrestler. One legged, he had some good matches against the Freebirds but he had classics with Lawler when he was on one leg. Like the Bam Bam match, it isn’t unusual to have a good match with Kerry Von Erich over the course of the career. It is amazing to have several great matches post-amputee Kerry. In 1990, he had some of the most compelling match with Valiant he has ever had. As Cox said about Lawler’s 1990 JYD match, “It's a master class on how to get something out of an opponent who brings little to the table. “ Are they 4 star classics? No way. However, that overtime period of the Valiant match is one of the greatest displays of using the gimmick of the match to create drama. Phil and I recently watched a Kamala match from 2003 and it may be Kamala’s best match ever although the Hogan No Holds Barred match from 1987 may overtake it. Still, this is Kamala in 2003, not when he was a money making draw in the 1980s. The Snowman feud from 1990 is a great feud but the way Lawler worked those matches in a quasi-shoot manner (which the feud called for) gave Snowman a level of credibility he never had before or after. That is Lawler making somebody interesting that was never interesting otherwise. In 2014 and counting, I know Miz has had some good-great singles matches with Daniel Bryan, Cesaro and Lawler. I don’t think any Miz matches have been better than the Lawler TLC match or the World Title shot. The reason Miz had any heat at all going into the Mania match was due to Lawler and how hot he made that feud. It would be one thing if Lawler has only had a couple of broomstick matches in his career but his entire 40+ year career is littered with them and it goes to show the importance of understanding how to work to your opponent’s strengths or limitations as well as having an arsenal that is compelling enough and smart enough to work with any wrestler. Just as an exercise, who has Flair had great matches with that didn’t have great matches with anyone else? The Luger matches are Luger’s greatest, no doubt. However, Luger was having good to great matches with other people on the roster at the same time. The Flair-Nikita matches don’t compare to the Flair-Magnum matches even though they happened less than 6 months apart. I never saw a Flair-Dusty match that I enjoyed more than Tully-Dusty. I am a huge Flair fan but when it came to carrying broomsticks, Lawler is king here.

 

 

STORYTELLING / CHARACTER

Nobody tells a story better in the ring than Lawler. His matches almost always make sense depending on what they are working for. If Lawler is working a TV match, he is usually advancing a story or angle. This doesn’t always translate to great studio matches but he has quite a few memorable ones under his belt. If he is working monsters, he acts like a guy who is working monsters, he’s working underneath (Kamala, Bundy, Master of Pain). If he is wrestling a smaller guy, he plays the bully who abuses and punishes his opponent (Kaufman). Working Flair or Bock or Race or Hennig in the big title matches with the touring champ, nearly every single title match felt important and he treated it with the gravitas the privilege deserved which probably helped their placing on the DVDVR rankings. During the Snowman feud, he didn’t go in to the fight hiding a chain and cracking jokes. They fought the feud in a quasi-shoot fashion showing another layer to Lawler’s character. In the 1970s, he played the annoying smart mouthed high pitched heel and got under the skin of Fargo and Fargo made him pay with blood. He worked a title match with Jimmy Valiant where the overtime was a beautiful piece of storytelling where the first guy to get knocked off his feet loses. Lawler’s facial expressions, staggering, teasing the fall… all worked beautifully. Watching tons of these indy matches for the set, Lawler is usually playing the grizzled old legend who has to put a younger cocky heel in his place. Phil and I watched a Steve Corino match from 2002 and a Joey Mercury match from 2007 where Lawler plays it straight and his heel opponent tries to challenge for the throne using all of the tricks that Lawler taught them…. Choking with the wrist tape, hiding the chain, distracting the ref… will the student conquer the master? It’s a story he tells usually with only a move or three used the entire match and the matches are solid gold.

 

I want to address Lawler as a heel. I loved Dibiase using the loaded glove in Mid South. Others got tired of it. Using the chain is not that different. Also, Lawler was a master of hiding the chain. In his mouth smiling at the camera, in his boot, in the tights, pulling it out at the right time to abuse and punish his opponent. Nobody hides a chain as well or as clever as Lawler. Whenever Phil and I synch up and watch Lawler hide the chain, we mark out and marvel at how great Lawler was at the artform. Implying it is beneath him is implying that there is only one way to be a top guy. It’s a very Memphis thing and every heel since the 1970s who worked on top worked the chain. Dundee, Gilbert, Harts Family…. All wield the chain. One of the things I love about Lawler is how he embraced the character he was playing. He didn’t play face secretly wishing for a heel turn that nobody wanted. Even the WWF, he came in as an annoying heel and he embraced the role. I understand that people do not like the character but Lawler never tried to undercut the character on TV or be a cool heel. He was merciless in his abuse of Stu and Helen Hart. His Piper and Jake feuds were duds but Lawler went in full steam ahead no matter how stupid it made him look. Maybe a little subtlety would be nice but the King was not a subtle character and I give props to Lawler for embracing it. In 2004, Lawler reunites with Jimmy Hart as a heelI also love the fact that Lawler was able to play face and heel at the same time for two different audiences. When he was hamming it up as a heel in the Fed, he was making the WWF roster into heels down in Memphis. When he was a heel in ECW, he was actually playing the feud out in three different markets. Still, any criticisms of Lawler the heel usually ignore the 1970s footage since it isn’t widely circulated and focuses on a narrow point in his career in 1989-90 and his over the top heel run in the WWF which isn’t really indicative of Lawler’s career as a whole.

 

 

I want to mention that Phil Schneider wanted me to write up the beauty of Lawler’s timing in his matches. I want Phil to elaborate on this point but it is another feather in his cap. I don’t have a problem with people not liking Lawler. I think he is somebody that people appreciate when they get older. I used to roll my eyes at his act when I was younger too. If you don’t value bumping, selling, storytelling, great feuds that mean something, carrying lesser performers and of course, the GREAT PUNCHES then he is not the wrestler for you. For my money, he is #1.

[elliott]

That was really great, Will. Lawler is someone I can't imagine outside of my top 5 which is basically the 5 guys I'm considering for #1 overall (Flair, Hansen, Satanico, and Jumbo being the others).

[WingedEagle]

Will, I loved the post. Problem is that your recaps set a bar that the matches just don't reach for me when watching them. They highlight certain qualities to look out for. But the matches almost always underwhelm. There's enough here for me to rewatch some Lawler matches when the time comes, but not so much that he would place.

[goodhelmet]

WingedEagle, I am guessing you did not participate in the DVDVR Memphis voting. Not one person who watched that set, to the best of my memory, came away talking about the underwhelming matches.

If you watched the Lawler-Dundee Loser Leave Town matches, the Idol cage match, the Savage series, the Bock series, the Funk series, the Kerry series, Hennig series, Dutch series, Tommy Rich matches, the Crusher Blackwell match, the Bundy match, the Lawler/Idol vs. Freebirds matches, the Bam Bam match, the Martel match, the Moondgos brawls, the different feuds when Lawler & Dundee teamed, the Lawler/Jarrett team, the Lawler-Dreamer match from 1997 or 2010, the Goldust match, the Mercury singles match, the Corino singles match and still came away underwhelmed? At this point, we simply do not like the same type of wrestling.

[funkdoc]

will, from what i've seen wingedeagle strikes me as one of this board's closest things to the traditional 90s workrate fan. loves 90s AJPW and NJPW juniors (and NJPW heavies too, to be fair), still really high on bret & shawn, etc. it's not surprising to me that he couldn't get into lawler

[TRMD]

Great write up, Will.

 

I'd have to say that Lawler was absolutely phenomenal in every match of his I've ever watched. Which at this point (not including WWF/E stuff) is at about 10 matches. My absolute favorite of the lot being his barbed wire match vs Dutch in 82 (thanks, Dylan). Just an absolute slobber knocker.

[WingedEagle]

WingedEagle, I am guessing you did not participate in the DVDVR Memphis voting. Not one person who watched that set, to the best of my memory, came away talking about the underwhelming matches.

 

If you watched the Lawler-Dundee Loser Leave Town matches, the Idol cage match, the Savage series, the Bock series, the Funk series, the Kerry series, Hennig series, Dutch series, Tommy Rich matches, the Crusher Blackwell match, the Bundy match, the Lawler/Idol vs. Freebirds matches, the Bam Bam match, the Martel match, the Moondgos brawls, the different feuds when Lawler & Dundee teamed, the Lawler/Jarrett team, the Lawler-Dreamer match from 1997 or 2010, the Goldust match, the Mercury singles match, the Corino singles match and still came away underwhelmed? At this point, we simply do not like the same type of wrestling.

 

Maybe not. I liked almost all of those matches, and some of them a lot. Particularly the Dory, Terry No DQ, Dutch barbed wire, Dundee LLT and Idol/Freebirds bouts. I didn't particularly care for the Savage stuff much. I may have also not framed things in the proper context -- I found it all underwhelming as far as making a case for Lawler as an all timer, not as a worker who I enjoy and can appreciate.

[goc]

I know I'm the outlier on how much I love this match but I think it's a perfect example of what makes Lawler so great. Here he is wrestling King Kong Bundy in a $10,000 challenge match where every minute that Lawler survives he gets $1,000 of Jimmy Hart's money. This was MY #1 match on the Memphis set. Lawler makes King Kong Bundy look better than he ever had before or since and does a fantastic job of getting over the $10,000 challenge gimmick.

 

[Jimmy Redman]

Wait, it's weird to love that match??

 

Because I totally love that match.

 

I'm with you completely, King makes Bundy look great, at the same time finding a way to outsmart Hart and work the gimmick. It's one of those ideas that are long overdue to be stolen by someone today.