[2000-11-25-MPPW-TV] Jerry Lawler vs Slash

[soup23]

A pretty lame segment starts us off with Brandon Baxter wrapped up in bandages and talking to the “doctor”. It is obvious from the jump the doc is Lawler and Baxter looks like an idiot going along with all of his instructions. Eventually the nurse Kat burns Baxter. Match wasn’t much as Lawler gains an early advantage before Slash takes over using a fork. Lawler retaliates and ends up getting DQ’d and the show ends with Lawler piledriving Slash. *
 

[GSR]

An angry Brandon Baxter is with Dave, face still covered in bandages and wearing shades, refusing to leave and wanting to know what it takes to get treated around here. Dave informs him that during the break they heard that Dr Salmons is out of town for Thanksgiving, but doctors have back up for when they’re not around and there is a doctor taking Dr Salmons’ emergency calls while he’s gone. They’ve got him on the phone, although this doctor sounds awfully familiar! Baxter isn’t happy and thinks that Dr Salmons should have stayed here, eaten his turkey at home and treated him like he said he would, not run off out the country. He needs his bandages changed right now! The doctors says how he spoke to Dr Salmons about this case and Baxter was supposed to come and see him to get his dressing changed but he never showed up. What he will do though is send a nurse to Channel 5 today and they’ll get this taken care of because it could be serious and could get infected.

Later in the show and they’ve got the doctor on the phone who informs them that the nurse is almost there and can they get Mr Baxter out please? Dave’s not too keen on calling him ‘Mr Baxter’ so sticks with Brandon! Baxter joins them, but first of all he wants to know the name of this doctor as he’s already going to sue Dr Salmons for malpractice and wants to know who he’s speaking with in case anything goes wrong. The doctor gives his name, however it’s kinda mumbled and not clear. As the lights are bothering him, the doctor recommends that he takes those shades off and wraps the bandages around his eyes as that will ease the pain. Dave Brown helps him out at which point the nurse arrives on the scene and, despite the wig and mask, looks very familiar. The doctor says that they need to check his temperature, however when Brandon queries how they’re going to do that as his mouth is all bandaged up he informs him that it’s a rectal thermometer! The nurse also has some ointment (I couldn’t read the label although don’t think it is what they claim!) which she squeezes into Baxter’s hand as the doctor tells him to rub it into his face to help soothe all the discomfort he’s feeling. Finally the doctors suggests that the nurse apply heat to his face as that will alleviate some of the pain. She pulls out a hot water bottle and places it against Brandon’s cheek but it is too hot. As it’s too hot the doctor then asks her to take some of the liquid out of there, at which point she empties the water bottle all over him. Baxter slips and slides on the water while the nurse removes her mask to reveal that she is in fact The Kat, and the cameras cut backstage to show, shock, horror, that the doctor is in fact Jerry ‘the King’ Lawler.

The match has barely got going when Slash reaches behind his shin guard and pulls out the fork. He jabs at ‘the King’ and digs it into his forehead all out of the view of referee William Gibson while Baxter provides additional distraction on the floor. A high vertical suplex and Lawler kicks out at two. As he starts to fight back, we get that same ‘side headlock, shoot the man into the official, ref bump spot’ that if I ever see again it will be too soon! Baxter hands the fork back to Slash and he goes to stab it into the prone Lawler’s chest, however he moves out the way in time. Slash drops the fork in the process and ‘the King’ picks it up. He’s about to attack Slash with the item when Gibson sees him brandishing it, hooks his arm to prevent him from doing so and disqualifies him. Baxter and Slash double team Lawler post-match, until The Kat jumps in there to get her hands on Baxter and Lawler is able to hit the piledriver on Slash after he telegraphs a backdrop.

Even though you knew what was coming, the angle at the start was fun. I’m sure it’s the sort of thing that’s been done several time over the years in Memphis and the USWA previously, while Baxter is fantastic in his role. Kudos to Baxter, Dave and Corey for the way they straight batted it too as it was obvious from the moment the doctor opened his mouth that it was Lawler on the line. The Kat’s ‘nurses’ outfit also leaves little to the imagination! Nothing really to add when it comes to the match, all I would say though is if they must persist with the ref bumps then at least try to come up with something different alternative stuff to what they have been doing.