[1985-03-24-ICW-Cape Girdeau, MO] Jerry Lawler vs Randy Savage

[Superstar Sleeze]

Jerry Lawler vs Randy Savage - ICW 3/24/85

WWE Vault hypes this as an Unseen Savage vs Lawler match from Cape Girdeau, MO, but doesn’t give a promotion or a date. Based on Cagematch, it looks like this happened in ICW (Poffo) and on 3/24/85 but feel free to correct me. 
 

They have 35 minutes of Savage and Lawler in 1985! What a find! One thing to make clear is due to sound quality and it was my turn to watch the baby I couldn’t make out what they were saying  and like first 25 minutes there is a lot of stopping and grabbing a microphone. So your viewing experience maybe enhanced if you can hear what is going on. Tux Newman, who I had never heard of until reading our fearless leader @Loss Wrestling Playlists strolls out to support his Macho Man, Even though this is in ICW, Savage is playing the heel through and through. 
 

I affectionately call their 6/3/85 match the anti-work rate classic. This is definitely in a similar vein but not quite as good. What both excel at is really selling This as a sporting contest without it being shoot style. Each punch is sold exactly how a punch would be sold in a bare knuckle fight. Savage has that Tasmanian Devil energy. I love how cool & calm Lawler plays the opening. He is not being suckered into Macho Man’s game. He is here to wrestle by the rules and he is keeping it professional. Classic Savage getting on his bike and riding. Lawler embarrasses him at every turn in the opening. Reversing everything and having an answer for everything. This draws Tux out which leads to a lot of jaw jacking. The first punch scored goes to the King. Savage’s sell of this single punch is everything. The way rocks in the ropes and how he acts like a chump about it. Savage scores two great punches of his own in the corner. Lawler’s like Savage puts over the power of the punch. Lawler evens the score at two apiece But he rears back and charges in the third but it is a miss. Tux gets his cane to Savage unbeknownst to Lawler and when Lawler goes after Tux, Savage jabs it into Lawler’s abdomen. Now we are off to the races! Love Savage’s Baseball Wind-Up Punches on the floor! Bombs Away Double Axehandle to the floor! Lawler presses Savage off of him onto the floor. It is not a far drop as this ring is only like 2-3 feet off the ground. Lawler punch but he misses on the fist drop! Another Bombs Away Double Axehandle to the floor. The arena brawling is cool because you just see these silhouettes of the two of them punching each others lights out. Classic Savage bump as the King catches him in the breadbasket with a punch as he leapt from the top rope. Both men’s selling is terrific. They are capturing the grueling struggle of the fisticuffs. Macho Man eyerake as he looks to take back control. LAWLER HULK UP STRAP DOWN SAVAGE BEGS OFF! THE KING TEES OFF ON THE MACHO MAN AND LAWLER HURLS HIM TONYHE OUTSIDE! Lawler threatens to punch Tux But doesn’t do it because Savage saves. Big Punch, classic Piston Punches and fist drop ends it. 
 

Look at 35 minutes but only ten minutes of action it is a bit of a sell BUT like I said maybe if you can hear him you’d enjoy the first 25 minutes more. The last ten minutes are gold But I did think the finish was a bit anti-climactic. Everyone should check this out! *** 1/2