Koko B Ware

[goodhelmet]

I know it has been awhile since the Memphis set but he really had some remarkable performances in Memphis and a great tag feud with the PYT's vs. New Fabs. He faded after that but he isa Memphis guy that i Don't want to leave out.

[Tim Evans]

I loved the short run Koko/Lawler feud in 92 when when Koko represented WWF and just came down to the studio one Saturday morning to answer Lawler's challenge vs any WWF guy. Pissed off Koko Ware is my favorite. Especially when he would just stiff jobbers with a brainbuster or clothesline.

[Tim Cooke]

Is that 1992 stuff online?

[Chess Knight]

Watched as much post-Memphis Koko as I possibly could a couple years back. Thought he looked awesome basically every match he was in. Really, really liked a match with Valentine in 1987 from SNME. The Koko/Rude matches rocked, too.

[Dylan Waco]

Got no problem with someone voting Koko, but I struggle with the idea of Sarge being an "on the fence" guy, and Koko being a definite pick

[JerryvonKramer]

Completely writing him off.

[Loss]

I like him in the 80s, but give either Uso a high profile singles match with a world champion and they probably have comparable resumes.

[goodhelmet]

The Usos don't have the best scaffold match ever on their resume or the bloody Fabs feud.

[goodhelmet]

Got no problem with someone voting Koko, but I struggle with the idea of Sarge being an "on the fence" guy, and Koko being a definite pick

 

Real quick... meant to reply to this earlier... when I was going through earlier wrestlers, I was going on instincts. I thought there were tons of guys that would be on my list and I realized that I don't have nearly as many people on my personal list as I expected. I made a list of guys who are for consideration and I ended up with like 108 guys. Sarge is safe.

[JerryvonKramer]

Just to say that everyone who hasn't should watch Koko vs. Tommy Rogers from 10/24/83 to see one of the most mind-boggling performances I think I've ever seen.

 

Mainly just because Koko runs through every single bomb he knows. It's 1983 in Memphis and he works it like it could be 1995 in AJPW. Review of that match coming soon, but holy shit, LOL.

 

 

---

 

Just on Koko more generally, he is good in Memphis, especially tagging with Eaton, but there is not enough there for a GWE case I don't think.

[thebrainfollower]

You got a link Parv?

[GSR]

You got a link Parv?

 

DVDVR Memphis set

 

[JerryvonKramer]

Completely writing him off.

Watching this 1984 stuff when he's part of the PTYs and I think he actually has more goods than I gave him credit for when I wrote this.

 

I'm considering adding some points to his score after seeing this series with Gilbert and Rich and the Fabs, AND his tag run with Eaton and that Rogers match.

 

He's an offensive powerhouse.

[KB8]

There's no way I'm not voting for him. I mean, he won't be super high, but I love him and he's genuinely one of my favourite wrestlers ever.

[KB8]

There was indeed no way I wasn't not voting for Koko in 2016, but having him at number 70 was definitely too high. Koko ruled, he just didn't have the resume to really justify that. Still, he was awesome in Memphis and I'm planning on running through every Eaton/Koko tag I can find, because those guys were the Midnight Express we never had. Like basically every Memphis guy he was an incredible puncher, but the dropkicks might've been even better. Was responsible for the best scaffold match ever, which I actually put a ton of stock in because that is not a very easy gimmick to do well (Bill Dundee (his dance partner on the night), Chicky Starr and Invader III being the only other guys I'd want to see work several scaffold matches), and also responsible for maybe the best squash match of all-time when he took alllllll the liberties and just obliterated some racist jobber on tv. The tag with Eaton against Mantell/King Cobra and the Flair match are a couple matches that I think hit that absolute top tier, so he has the high-end output as well, even if there's not much volume (maybe PYT v Rich/Gilbert as well, but I haven't watched that recently enough). I can't justify having him so high next time though, even if he is one of my personal favourites.

 

KOKO WARE YOU SHOULD WATCH:

v Bill Dundee (Memphis, 6/21/82)

w/Bobby Eaton v Dutch Mantell & King Cobra (Memphis, 7/19/82)

w/Bobby Eaton, Rick McGraw & Sabu v Jerry Lawler, Bill Dundee, Dutch Mantell & Terry Taylor (Memphis, 12/4/82)

w/Norvell Austin v Tommy Rich & Eddie Gilbert (Memphis, 5/18/84)

v Ric Flair (11/18/85)

[KB8]

I've started watching every Koko Ware match that I can find, from his debut in Memphis up through the middle of 1982 (so far). I would like to vote Koko somewhere around the top 4 (yes four) in 2026 so this is me making an attempt at showing my work. 

Koko Ware & Pat Hutchinson v Bill Irwin & Larry Latham (Memphis, 11/1/80)

Pretty great studio tag. It's one-sided, but you don't mind when the one-sidedness results in such a total destruction of Pat Hutchinson (or anyone, really. Nothing against Pat Hutchinson). Irwin and Latham just mollywhop him for about nine of the 10 minutes, barring one minute where Koko comes in and absolutely rules it hitting big dropkicks and punches. Irwin foolishly decides to headbutt Koko and rears back dazed like he's about to topple, so Koko stares at him bemused for a second before sending him on his way with a dropkick. But really, yer man Pat gets stomped out completely. Irwin was actually a super fun bully and had a great time beating on him, hitting one pump kick to the sternum where he took off from about six feet back. Latham was just murdering the poor guy with kneedrops to the back of the head, pure Super Tiger to Fujiwara style while Hutchinson was quivering on the canvas. Irwin picks him up and spears him into the corner where Pat lands hard on the middle turnbuckle and a bit later Latham hits an Oklahoma Stampede! A Koko hot tag would've pushed this into classic studio tag territory, but as it is it's one heck of an extended squash. 

Koko Ware & Bill Dundee v Roger Kirby & Guy Mitchell (Memphis, 11/29/80)

I had no recollection of Roger Kirby being a Nature Boy. Which begs the question - how does one even become a Nature Boy? How is the moniker earned? Is it simply a blond hair thing? Is it bestowed upon you by the original Nature Boy? Was Buddy Rogers running around siring Nature Children like some pro wrestling Robert Baratheon? This was shorter and a bit more hectic and nobody got their tail beat like Pat Hutchinson did, but Kirby and Mitchell were fun enough bruisers and we got a nice extended heat segment on Dundee. Mitchell is someone I haven't seen a lot of but he was determined to keep the ring cut off and you can't help but appreciate that. He also had no qualms about waltzing over and stomping someone in the neck to halt any momentum. Koko got to come in off the hot tag and wouldn't you believe it but he hit both Kirby and Mitchell with gorgeous dropkicks. The heels hitting a fucking Demolition-style backbreaker/elbow drop off the middle rope was wild and Koko about got snapped in two with the thing. 

Koko Ware, Bill Dundee, Tommy Rich & Eddie Gilbert v The Bounty Hunters, The Angel & Ali Hassan (Memphis, 2/28/81)

This got a ton of time, like 25+ minutes, which is a rarity for the studio. You could maybe tell the wrestlers knew they had half an hour to fill because it wasn't worked with the same sort of franticness that was the norm. There were still lots of quick tags and guys rolling to their own corner before getting swarmed, but the opening stretch was much more like an extended babyface shine you'd see in the arena. Eddie Gilbert was the most featured of the babyfaces in the first fall and it was him who eventually took the beatdown for his team. 20-year-old white meat babyface Gilbert is a different kettle of fish from weasel heel Gilbert but he was perfectly capable in his role, which you probably expect. Dundee was really great here, bringing all sorts of neat touches and doing something worthwhile basically every other second. He went for a running elbow drop at one point and the intended recipient moved, maybe a little earlier than planned because it looked like the elbow was set up to be missed, so rather than do it anyway like most might've Dundee course-corrected and jumped on whoever it was with a facelock. There was lots of fun spots around Dundee causing miscommunications, like covering a guy and then moving at the last second when someone tried to break it up, effectively goading that someone into stomping his own partner. One of the Bounty Hunters holds Dundee in the ropes to get punched, but Dundee ducks and the Bounty Hunter gets popped in the mouth by a teammate. When Koko then holds one of the heels for Dundee to hit him, Dundee fakes the punch, the heel ducks and glances around to see if Koko got cracked, then turns back around into that Dundee roundhouse. If we're ranking the all time best studio match workers then the Superstar is right there in the discussion for #1. 

Koko Ware & Ron Sexton v Masa Fuchi & Atsushi Onita (Memphis, 5/16/81)

This was another fairly one-sided thing, but Fuchi and Onita certainly took it to the babyfaces and brought a nice level of viciousness while they were at it. They'd evidently been watching Guy Mitchell and Nature Boy Roger Kirby because they really made an effort to cut the ring off and keep an opponent in their corner. Usually that opponent was Ron Sexton, who took a proper whooping here. Fuchi and Onita would cut Ron and Koko off by just clawing at their eyes and hitting overhand chops to the sternum. This was real nasty face-clawing and eye-gouging as well, digging fingers in there like they were trying to peel an orange. They'd back Sexton into the corner and whoever was on the apron would grab him by the hair so the other guy could chop him or put the boots to him with impunity. By the third fall they're even biting Sexton's forehead, then Fuchi hits a mean neckbreaker where he keeps hold of Sexton's head after they hit the ground. Sexton goes rigid like he's in the throes of death so Onita comes in and ends his suffering by chopping him dead in the face. Koko doesn't get much offence or anything but he was clearly rated highly in the territory. He doesn't eat either of the pinfalls and wipes out both heels with some dropkicks, which Fuchi and Onita obviously bump big off of. Lance and Dave mention between falls as well how Sexton has really struggled against a well-oiled team but Koko has looked really good despite the losing effort. They obviously knew they had something with him and I like how they subtly tried to protect him even in defeat. 

Koko Ware v Chic Donovan (Memphis, 5/30/81)

I've said this on here before and I'm sure most/all of the other places I regularly talk to people about wrestling, but 80s Memphis might be my ultimate pro wrestling comfort food. The DVDVR Memphis set was the first deep dive I ever did into a territory and I blazed through every disc in like six weeks, something I would never be able to do today, 15 bastard years later. The whole aesthetic with the purplish background, Lance and Dave narrating everything from the desk, guys like Lawler and Dundee and Mantell and then Jimmy Hart running around like an idiot, there's probably no wrestling easier for me to sit and immerse myself in. And the pre-match here wasn't quite full over the top MEMPHIS, but it was still very Memphis, with Tojo Yamamoto in his broken English introducing his new charge, Lance groaning like Marge Simpson at "Mr Lance Russell, I have something for you today." Tojo has found someone who's going to be the next Southern Heavyweight Champion, the greatest singles wrestler in the world. I could not tell you the last time I watched a Chic Donovan match but I'm shocked he wasn't calling himself Nature Boy. I'm guessing was TRYING to cut himself from the same cloth as Flair, a bit more shredded than Ric but lacking somewhat in presence. As an actual contest this was seven minutes of what could've been an awesome 14-minute match. The roles were maybe a wee bit backwards as you had Donovan working an armbar from the start, Koko coming up for air before being taken back down into it, but I guess the goal was to establish Chic as a solid hand (or the greatest singles wrestler in the world, as it were) so why not. He's sort of clunky at times, probably not surprising for someone who's only been wrestling for about three years, but he threw at least a couple mean forearms that might rattle your brains. The arm work is fine enough as well and Koko is all energy when he has his hope spots. Loved the bit where he took Donovan over with a leaping headscissors and Donovan planted himself on top of his head like it was a fucking piledriver, then got up and turned around into THE Koko Ware dropkick. This is the earliest picture perfect Koko dropkick I've seen - before he had the crazy spring but the landing didn't look as graceful, where he'd come down almost on his back. This time it was gorgeous and it most importantly hit Donovan right on the button. He even hit a second one and Lance and Dave popped huge. "THERE'S that Koko Ware dropkick!" Donovan kind of no-selling it was rubbish though, and then he goes straight to some approximation of the figure-four and I'm wondering if he wasn't going by Nature Boy after all. The shift to that from having worked the arm early was maybe a little jarring, but it is what it is. I enjoyed the whole lot of this. 

[KB8]

Koko Ware, Dream Machine, Nightmare, Speed & Jimmy Hart v Dutch Mantell, Bill Dundee, Steve Keirn, Rick Gibson & Robert Gibson (Memphis, 9/19/81)

Koko has thrown his lot in with Hart and the First Family, thus beginning the amazing heel Koko Ware run (and soon-to-be even more amazing heel team with Bobby Eaton). There actually wasn't a ton of Koko in this, but it was a super fun 10 minutes and really how could it not be with those participants? Dutch tried to jump Koko at one point and I'm not sure Koko expected it because he fucking HURLED himself out the ring to safety. Jimmy was so good in this. Obviously he had no intention of getting in there unless the deck was stacked completely in his favour. That happens once where he puts the boots to Dundee, then Bill comes back at him and Hart is out of there like a shot. There were three or four instances where the babyfaces just ran around to that side of the ring and Jimmy leaped over the fucking announce desk while Lance got peeved at it all. 

Sweet Brown Sugar & Dream Machine v Rick & Robert Gibson (Memphis, 9/26/81)

Koko has now started going by Sweet Brown Sugar. Koko's the first Sweet Brown Sugar I was ever aware of in the world of professional wrestling and naturally I fell in love immediately, so there have been many disappointing realisations over the years when perusing tape lists that Skip Young was also going by Sweet Brown Sugar down in Florida (and to be fair to Skip, he was the first Sweet Brown Sugar). I cannot articulate my joy at finding a tag match with Tenryu and Ashura Hara against the Destroyer and Sweet Brown Sugar. Neither can I articulate my despondency upon realising it was Skip Brown Sugar and not Koko. No offence intended to our man Skip. Anyhow, this was another really fun 10 minutes. Jimmy Hart is running around with a big stick, wearing a yellow jumpsuit like Uma Thurman. He got under Rick Gibson's skin so deep that Gibson would outright chase him away from ringside repeatedly, often to the point where he'd lose sight of Koko and Dream Machine entirely. Sometimes that even left Robert alone to be beaten on. Jimmy was hilarious trying over and over to come back out from the curtain like your little brother when yer ma keeps sending him back to tell you it's HIS turn on the PlayStation.

Sweet Brown Sugar & Stan Lane v Bill Dundee & Roy Rogers (Memphis, 10/3/81)

You know, we always talk about Koko/Eaton being the lost Midnight Express, but Koko/Lane might just be the lost Heavenly Bodies. There are only so many ways to say "this was a fun 10 minutes" but what can I tell you, this was a fun 10 minutes. Koko was pinballing around off amazing Dundee punches, including one coming off the ropes where it looked like Dundee was trying to jam his fist through the back of Koko's head. Koko also gets mad height on those fist drops and I love that he'll make a beeline straight for the tag whenever things are getting a little out of hand. Jimmy Hart running around gibbering like an idiot prompting Lance to mutter "aw go and siddown, Hart" was also perfect. 

Sweet Brown Sugar v Jerry Lawler (Memphis, 10/5/81)

Aw man I wish we had this in full. We only get five minutes of it and honestly, what was actually shown made it look like one of the greatest 5-minute matches ever - and it was spliced together well enough that I could believe it only went seven - but I'm pretty sure they announced at one point that 15 minutes had gone and really it's a travesty that we don't have them. Still, I will reiterate that what we saw of it ruled like a bastard. Koko is spectacular here, really playing to the arena crowd by being the sort of shithead you could see alllll the way in that back row. When Lawler tries to backdrop him Koko flips out like fucking Tiger Mask, getting more height than even Sayama would, then does the most amazing little celebratory jig you've ever seen. Lawler tries several times to punch him and Koko ducks, dodges and dances each time, Lawler getting more and more irritated with every miss. I've lost count of how many times I've mentioned the Koko Ware dropkick, and I mentioned it all those times with good reason, but I think because that thing was SO good I almost forgot that Koko was also an unbelievable puncher. He would avoid those Lawler punches and tag him back repeatedly and it was just brilliant heat-building. When Koko lands on his feet and starts dancing off the fourth backdrop attempt Lawler rips down the strap then and there and fucking obliterates Koko with a right hand mid-2-step! It wasn't the big comeback, Koko hadn't done enough where one was warranted yet, it was just a moment of rage boiling over, like Thor calling on the hammer to clobber a shoplifter. Probably unnecessary in the grand scheme of things, but play stupid games you win stupid prizes. Koko running through a bunch of Lawler signature spots after that was amazing. The level of difficulty on making Jerry Lawler signature punches look good must be through the roof, yet here was Koko hitting a top rope fist drop and the kneeling punch flurry and I'll be damned if they never looked great. Truly a testament to our man Koko. And then obviously Lawler paid him back and even if all those 'Purple Rain' covers are cool and everything there's nobody who can do it quite like the one and only. 

Sweet Brown Sugar & Stan Lane v Ricky Morton & Eddie Gilbert (Memphis, 10/10/81)

This was perfect Memphis studio wrestling. What I think Memphis did better than any territory during the 80s was blend angles and interviews and matches into a seamless singular package, all on TV. Before the bell here Jimmy Hart was going IRATE about something to do with Jerry Calhoun, long-time Memphis referee. I honestly don't remember anything about the Hart/Calhoun feud from around this time but pretty soon Calhoun comes out shirtless, Lawler by his side, and seconds later Hart and Calhoun are rolling around shirtless taking wild windmill swings at each other. That lit a fire under the audience so they were hot for the eventual match. And the match itself was a wonderful eight minutes, really just the best sort of TV wrestling. It's a bit more traditionally structured than your hectic studio bout so we get defined segments. The first third was mostly about Morton and Gilbert controlling and they did it with a vice grip on Stan Lane's arm. There was one extended hammerlock segment where Lane would keep trying to shake them only to get dragged back into it, hitting a slam while Gilbert still has his arm hammerlocked, Gilbert refusing to release and rolling through to maintain it. Morton and Gilbert make quick tags while passing the hold between one another and it was all nifty stuff. Eventually we go into Morton in peril, and in case anyone's wondering Ricky Morton was already fucking great by 1981. The transition ruled with Morton knocking Koko off the apron as the latter tried to interfere, turning around into Lane's diving headbutt to the gut. Lane hits a nice gutwrench suplex and has this cool takedown clothesline, like an STO without the leg sweep. Koko holds Morton in an abdominal stretch so Lane can karate kick him in the ribs and Stan Lane also ruled in case anyone was wondering. There was one amazing Morton hope spot where Koko backed him into the corner and Morton hit this upkick/dropkick thing that nearly decapitated Koko. Koko pulling a chain out and clocking him with an A+ punch was of course awesome. I'm repeating myself, but Koko and Lane were so good together. 

Sweet Brown Sugar v Rick Gibson (Memphis, 10/17/81)

Okay what in the fuck? As far as eight-minute studio matches go this was six and a quarter stars. With a couple more minutes and a proper finish it might've achieved studio match royalty. Koko had folk on strings before the thing even started by trying to flip into the ring and landing on his arse Whether it was deliberate or he really did fluff the landing I'm not sure, but does it really matter when you have their attention from the jump? When it started properly he was incredible taunting and dancing like an idiot, in much the same way as against Lawler. This was possibly even better in fact, because the camera was right there and you could see more clearly the annoyance on Gibson's face, and more importantly the joy on Koko's. Koko was shuffling and shadow boxing and when Gibson took a swing at him Koko went to the ref' like "hey watch that fist there, partner." Koko's exaggerated head bob while leaning against the ropes was genuinely funny stuff. They do a double dropkick spot that allows Gibson to briefly take over, but then a minute later Koko is back to avoiding getting hit and chicken dancing like a prick. It was amazing and Gibson hit him with one punch that really did not look pulled. I think Koko might've worked the worker! After a few nice exchanges Koko takes over when Gibson goes shoulder-first into the post and from there Koko goes to THE CHAIN~. I guess everyone who worked Memphis for any reasonable amount of time just got great at hiding the foreign object shtick? In the end the match gets thrown out when Jimmy whacks Gibson with a stick, but we don't have time to rest as a post-match brawl kicks off with the First Family and Lawler and Jerry Calhoun arriving. And I'll be fucked if I'm not ready to lay down some hard-earned cash for a Jimmy Hart v Jerry Calhoun match.