[2000-10-28-MPPW-TV] Jerry Lawler vs Brandon Baxter & Derrick King (Handicap)

[soup23]

Baxter comes out and Dave doesn't believe him when he says a WWF Superstar here today. Out comes Tazz out of the limo and into the Channel 5 studios. Tazz says he doesn't know who Baxter is but wants a piece of Lawler. Lawler isn't there but calls in and says he can be there in 10 minutes. Tazz informs us that he has another engagement at 12 so he has to bolt. Later in the show, Lawler and Kevin Kelly are there and we get a back and forth between them and with Baxter which sets up the handicap match. Lawler is a house of fire beating up both until Tazz makes his surprise return and chokes out Lawler. This is all pretty cool stuff. Finally, at the end of the show we get a Randy Hales interview. This starts with a pretape from Angle wearing the WWF Championship and chastising Hales for having him in the opening match. Hales calls out Kevin Kelly who is the MCW rep and declares that he is tired of the sneak attacks and wants Power Pro and MCW to face off once and for all. Really fun angle injecting some life into the waning Memphis. 1/4*

[GSR]

Brandon Baxter has returned and Dave Brown appears to be gloating over the fact that he promised he’d have Tazz here but he’s nowhere to be seen. When Baxter queries does that mean therefore that he doesn’t trust him and wouldn’t believe a word he says, Dave replies “pretty much!” He responds that he’s about to prove him as a fool for the very first time on Channel 5 as, after giving him the big build up, to everyone’s surprise Tazz exits out of a limo in the car park and heads into the building to join them. Tazz tells Baxter that he doesn’t know what he’s talking about, doesn’t know him, doesn’t need to know him and he’s here for one reason and it isn’t because of him, it’s because of Jerry ‘the King’ Lawler. He’s pissed that he has to spend his day off in Memphis and isn’t prepared to wait for tonight in Arkansas, he wants Lawler right this second so he can choke him out in the studio. Dave explains that ‘the King’ isn’t here yet, but they’ve got him on the phone (that’s lucky!). They’re unable to patch him through on air so Dave relays what he’s got to say back to Tazz. It turns out that he’s watching the show at home and as he only lives about ten miles away, is going to get into his car, head down to the studio and accepts Tazz’s challenge, so they won’t have to wait until Jonesboro. Tazz appears to have a change of heart on hearing that, claiming he’s got a public appearance at midday, can’t afford to hang around and better get going.

 

‘The King’ arrives with MCW representative Kevin Kelly to a great response from the fans in the studio. Dave tells Lawler that Tazz is no longer here as the moment he heard that he was on his way, upped and left, saying that he had to be at an autograph session. Lawler is miffed but Kelly, in his WWF office roll, thinks its better that nothing happens here and they can do it on the big card tonight (which he plugs about three separate times!). Brandon Baxter is back out and he would hate for Jerry Lawler to get in his car, to waste his time, to waste his gas, to come to TV5 and do nothing. He says how ‘the King’ has been knocking he and Derrick King saying that they’re too small to be wrestlers, so why don’t they team up and wrestle him here today? Lawler plugs his celebrity softball game that he’s taking part in this afternoon, but will take a couple of minutes, because it shouldn’t take more than that, and will take care of the two jerks that were part of the primary reason he left Power Pro Wrestling in the first place. He hands his valuables to Kevin Kelly to look after and then steps into the ring. The match goes all of twenty five seconds, although during which time Lawler hits a ‘stunner’ on both, before he’s jumped from behind by Tazz and choked unconscious. Tazz cackles maniacally and says that Lawler has become just another victim and telling everyone to be at Jonesboro tonight, while Kelly talks about it being a set up all along.

 

After a commercial break Randy Hales joins Corey and mentions how he’s deliberately been keeping himself off screen recently, but came out here today as he has a lot to talk about. Kurt Angle, the new WWF champion, has sent a video tape in directed at Hales, although doesn’t say much bar that when he was in Power Pro Randy Hales used him in opening card matches and now he’s in main events on top of the World Wrestling Federation. Hales claims that it sounds like he’s been brainwashed by Jerry Lawler and what he’s saying isn’t true at all; he went undefeated for three months in Power Pro, was the Heavyweight champion and consistently wrestled in main events all across their region. He goes on to say that the only reason Jerry Lawler is back is because Dave and Corey thought it would be good for their TV show, but he swerved them by coming out and knocking the company that he works his butt off 24 hours a day for. Everything has gotten out of control and it needs to stop! Randy invites Kevin Kelly out, but he’s still hot about everything that has gone on today and blames Hales’ men (Baxter and DK) for what happened to Lawler and wants “the floundering owner and president of Power Pro Wrestling” to try and get some control of those men he calls ‘athletes’. Hales removes his jacket ready for a dust up as Corey tells him to keep his cool. He claims that no-one knew what MCW was until they were on his TV and they gave them the credibility, but things are getting crazy and makes them an open challenge from now on that they can settle it in the ring, no more sneaking up from behind. They’re running low on time, but Kelly gets in one last dig saying that the only reason Dave and Corey called ‘the King’ was because his promotion was on life support and he had put it in a bad spot. Kelly returns the offer and makes the same open door challenge to Power Pro Wrestling, inviting them to the Jonesboro show tonight, and the two continue to go at it as the show goes off the air.

 

Generally real good stuff here. The Tazz angle was worked perfectly and was a much more effective way of building ‘the Final Battle’ in Jonesboro than the 10/7 TV match he had with Lawler. It also reminded me of one of those classic Memphis angles where Lawler wouldn’t be in the studio, but Lance would have no trouble in reaching him on the phone as they could continue it as if he was! He may have been off television for several months but Randy Hales remains one awkward on screen performer and Kevin Kelly looked to be having far too much fun knocking his promotion.