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Views from the Hawke’s Nest: It’s Good to be the King – The Jerry Lawler Story – Discs 1 & 2

August 9, 2015 | Posted by TJ Hawke
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Views from the Hawke’s Nest: It’s Good to be the King – The Jerry Lawler Story – Discs 1 & 2  

Disc 1

The Feature

After watching the Network double-dipping on the Bryan and Shield DVDs, it was actually nice to watch the more traditional (if completely uninspired) WWE doc that was done on Jerry Lawler. They do a cliffnotes take on the great majority of his life and career. His territory days are covered but mostly not in any great detail (how do you do an eighty minute doc on Jerry Lawler’s career and barely mention Bill Dundee?). They spend a lot more time on his WWE career of course than would be appropriate. There are  just all the issues that come with trying to tell the whole life story of major player in the professional wrestling business in only eighty minutes.

Instead of going on and on like I usually do about WWE’s terribly cynical attempts to produce documentaries on people and properties that are in their best interest to present positively (or negatively), I’m going to point out how one segment of this should ideally serve as an inspiration for a change in the WWE documentary-making process. The longest chapter on the doc was about Lawler’s feud with Andy Kaufman. They actually do a nice job of telling the origins of it happening, people’s reaction to it, etc. It is easily does the best job of balancing entertaining and informing. If they just strung together five or six stories like that and focused all the attention on those stories, you would get a a really entertaining doc and some insight into what made Jerry Lawler such an important and influential wrestler.

 

Disc 2

Memphis Wrestling
April 25, 1981

Jerry Lawler vs. Terry Funk

This was the infamous empty arena match. While Lawler is obviously good here, this is the Terry Funk show from beginning to end. He sets the tone for the whole match by cutting this wild promo on Lance Russell because Lawler has not shown up for the match yet. You immediately buy into the feud just because of this promo. Lawler finally shows up, and the brawl is on. The match works without a crowd because of the physicality, the hatred in their eyes, and the bumps that Funk takes. The finish is great stuff as well. Funk is trying to use spike to go after Lawler’s eye, but Lawler ends up sending the spike into Funk’s eye. The match ends in a No Contest, as Funk is bleeding from the eye while begging Russell to get him a doctor. This all largely lived up the hype. (****)

 

Memphis Wrestling
April 5, 1982

Jerry Lawler vs. Andy Kaufman

While the Empty Arena match footage was in decent condition, this is the video quality that I have come to expect from Memphis. Kaufman has no interest in getting physical with Lawler. Lawler finally offers him a free headlock. Lawler then gets disqualified for using a piledriver. Lawler gives him a second piledrver.

Kaufman then sold it like death in the ring, as he seemed to literally not move at all. Lawler chimed in with, “Maybe you can call a Taxi to get him.” Glad to know Jerry Lawler was in terrible Dad joke mode even while he was a territorial star. It is somewhat comforting for sure. Kaufman finally got stretchered out. While the execution of the intergender stuff is super cringe-y to go back and watch now, this payoff was exceptionally executed.

 

Memphis Wrestling
October 1, 1984

Jerry Lawler vs. Bill Dundee

I don’t know if Lawler or WWE had a complete version of this match, but this version felt basically complete whereas the version I had seen was severely damaged by clipping. Literally, just after I typed that, the clipping kicked in and tarnished my viewing experience. Sigh. The atmosphere and the intensity were the two biggest positives that I took away from the match. The crowd was electric for pretty much the whole thing. The match seemed so important, which is something that can add a ton to a match. Lawler and Dundee brawl with a level of intensity and credibility that elevates a punch-heavy match that would be dull in lesser performers’ hands. Another key was the timing of Lawler’s comeback, as it happened at the right time and was executed flawlessly. Lawler won this great brawl with a piledriver. Clipping makes it hard to rate, but I’ll put it at… (****)

 

Pro Wrestling USA
October 1, 1984

Jerry Lawler vs. Eddie Gilbert

The first big takeaway from this match is that Lawler did a spinning sole butt, and it was the worst spinning sole butt in the history of kicking. With that out of the way, this was a nice, short brawl that showed what Lawler could do with someone who could bump all around him. Lawler caught Gilbert with a pinning combo after Gilbert’s lazy cover following a DDT. (***)

 

AWA Wrestling
March 12, 1988

Jerry Lawler vs. Curt Hennig

Well, this was a very frustrating match to watch on a compilation. Hennig’s heel tactics made the match very boring and a slog to get through. I was hoping it would at least be paid off in an exciting manner. Instead there was a double disqualification after they started brawling on the floor. I keep being told that Curt Hennig was an excellent worker, but I have yet to see any matches that back that up.  (*1/2)

 

AWA Superstars
May 29, 1988

Jerry Lawler cut a promo about being AWA Champion. Bill Apter conducted the interview. Maybe Bill Apter should not be in the Journalist section of the Observer Hall of Fame Ballot. We need to come up with a new word.

 

WCCW Wrestling
September 26, 1988

Jerry Lawler(c) vs. Kerry Von Erich(c) [AWA Championship vs. WCWA Championship]

Lawler was the AWA champion at the time, while Kerry was the WCWA champion at the time. I liked Kerry Von Erich quite a bit from the handful of matches of his that I have seen. However, I think he works best against guys (like Flair) who can just bump around like a mad man for him. He did not seem at home doing the Lawler-punching-brawl. Lawler playing a subtle heel really suited him at least, and I need to see more of this heel Lawler. The over-the-top heel Lawler in WWF was not as well-suited for matches. The finish was hot despite it being a DQ: both guys punched the referee and then were both stripped of their titles due to WCCW rules about being able to lose a belt on a DQ. I don’t think that decision was held up. (**1/2)

 

Prime Time Wrestling
December 7, 1992

Jerry Lawler made his WWF debut at a conference table talk show hosted by Vince. It was a rather unspectacular debut.

 

WWF Raw
April 5, 1993

Jerry Lawler vs. Jim Powers

Lawler walked out on the match because the crowd kept chanting, “Burger King.”

 

Wrestling Challenge
May 23, 1993

Jerry Lawler did King’s Court with Giant Gonzales. It was not all that notable.

 

King of the Ring
June 13, 1993

Jerry Lawler interrupted Bret Hart’s coronation. This would kick off their two-year feud. Lawler was great here.

 

Raw
July 19, 1993

Jerry Lawler did a King’s Court with Tiny Tim. Tim called him “The Dairy Queen.” Lawler then broke his ukulele. Honestly, this might be the segment in pro wrestling history.

 

Wrestling Challenge
July 25, 1993

Jerry Lawler vs. Owen Hart

This match was quite dull. Lawler used an illegal object of some kind to cut off Owen after some shine and then later cut him off again to win with a piledriver. Lawler’s WWF work never impressed me much, and it’s depressing that we have arrived at that period so early on in the set. (*)

 

RAW
July 26, 1993

Bret Hart vs. Bam Bam Bigelow

Jerry Lawler trolled Bret’s parents in the crowd while  Bret was trying to have a match with Bigelow. Bret eventually had enough and walked out on the match to confront Lawler. Bam Bam won via countout.

 

RAW
April 11, 1994

Jerry Lawler was being carried to the ring but fell off his chair. Great comedy.

 

RAW
June 6, 1994

Jerry Lawler did a King’s Court with “‘Rowdy’ Roddy Piper.” Lawler had some skinny geek dress up as Piper so he could mock him. It was dumb.

 

King of the Ring
June 19, 1994

Jerry Lawler vs. Roddy Piper (w/ the geek that played Roddy in that King’s Court segment)

This was a methodical brawl that I did not find entertaining in any way, shape, or form. I definitely prefer Lawler’s work as a babyface, as his heel work seems entirely dependent on whether or not the crowd audibly hates him throughout the match. Piper looked worse here, as he brought no energy as the babyface. Skip this one. The geek saved Roddy from Lawler cheating to win late in the match, and Roddy then won after hitting a back suplex. (1/2*)

 

WWF
September 28, 1994

Jerry Lawler vs. The Undertaker [Casket Match]

Taker won fairly quickly. This was not noteworthy in any way. It was passible for a house show match. (**)

 

Sorry for the lack of analysis on the WWF matches. They are all really boring with not much of note happening in them so far.

 

Watch Jerry Lawler for free!

Jerry Lawler vs. Kevin Steen

Jerry Lawler vs. Terry Funk [Hardcore Match]

Jerry Lawler vs. Mark Henry

Jerry Lawler vs. Dick Slater

Jerry Lawler vs. Michael Cole

6.0
The final score: review Average
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