Wrestling Gold #2: The Maim Event
Commentators: Jim Cornette, Dave Meltzer
It’s another set of old school wrestling with the commentary being the big drawing card. Rather than listening to the regular commentary on a bunch of random territory stuff, we have Jim Cornette and Dave Meltzer offering a variety of insights and humor at the sport’s expense. Let’s get to it.
From Memphis, June 25, 1984.
Rock N Roll Express vs. Lanny Poffo/Randy Savage
Angelo Poffo is here with the non-Express. Poffo and Morton start things off as Cornette says he had already managed against the Express when he had the Galaxians (even Meltzer is impressed). Believe it or not, Cornette takes the lead on commentary here as this is the definition of his bread and butter. The Express takes Poffo down to start, followed by the double leg roll into the right hands to Savage in the corner (the Rockers would later steal that).
Morton works on the leg before trying the double roll again, with Savage dropping down. Savage gets back up…and is quickly knocked right back down in a funny bit. Savage comes in and misses a charge into the corner so Poffo can take over on Gibson. Morton is right back in to clean house but gets sent outside so Savage gets in a right hand (with that leg kick of his).
The middle rope elbow misses but Poffo is right back in to keep Morton in trouble. Morton is sent outside for the top rope ax handle from Savage (a big spot back in the day) but Poffo misses a Swanton (a VERY big spot in the day). The big tag brings Gibson back in and NOW the fans are up…and then they’re right back down as Angelo pulls the top rope down to send Gibson outside for the DQ at 6:02.
Rating: C+. This was getting going but it’s Memphis so the idea is to set it up for a rematch down the line. That’s a fine way to go, as these guys were working hard and the ending had the fans going nuts. The Express had a great underdog style and Savage was an all time star, while Lanny could more than hold his own. Give these guys some more time and this would be even better, but what we got was nice enough.
Post match Savage gives Morton a piledriver through the ringside table, which was the mother of all crazy spots.
From San Antonio, Texas, 1983.
Nick Bockwinkel vs. Manny Fernandez
Bockwinkel’s AWA World Title isn’t on the line. Feeling out process to start with Fernandez grabbing a headlock. Bockwinkel slams his way out of that but Fernandez is right back with a headlock takeover. A small package gives Fernandez two and it’s right back to the headlock. This lets commentary give us a history of Fernandez’s career as Bockwinkel fights up and hits a forearm to the ribs.
A knee to the gut drops Fernandez and a knee to the face puts him down again. Fernandez is already busted open and Bockwinkel grabs a bearhug of all things. That’s broken up and Fernandez knocks him down for two, followed by a suplex for the same. The sleeper goes on and Bockwinkel is in trouble but the time limit expires at 7:50 shown.
Rating: C+. I was interested when I saw this announced and I was curious to see where it went. Odds are the whole match went ten minutes and that was a fine way to build up to a rematch down the line. As usual, Bockwinkel can make anyone look good while Fernandez is a brawler who bled a lot. Good stuff here, and I could absolutely go for a longer version.
From (I believe) Detroit, Michigan, February 14, 1976.
United States Title: Mark Lewin vs. The Sheik
Lewin is defending and this is Loser Leaves Town. Lewin backs him up against the ropes to start and they actually break clean. That lasts all of five seconds before Sheik takes him into the corner for biting and choking. Some stabbing with a pencil has Lewin in more trouble as commentary talks about how many people tried to go after Sheik.
Lewin fights up but gets knocked outside, with the blood making it hard to see. Sheik rakes the cut on the head again but this time Lewin goes after Sheik’s manager to start the tug of war. Back in and Lewin hammers away and you can hear the fans over the commentary track. Lewin stabs away with the pencil and, after we get a random closeup of the manager’s face, Lewin stabs him again for two.
The manager comes in for the cheap shot but Lewin stabs away at the Sheik again. Some Mongolian chops have Sheik in trouble and Lewin grabs a sleeper. The manager comes in and gets sleepered as well, allowing Sheik to come up with the fireball. That’s enough for Lewin to fall outside for the countout at 10:26. Apparently Sheik wins the title as well, with his manager’s eyes getting burned being an acceptable situation.
Rating: C-. Ok you don’t have this kind of a match for the sake of their wrestling ability. This was about having two people go out there and do violent stuff to each other and they did it…well ok not very well but by this point the Sheik was mostly ancient. It’s not a good match but it’s quite the spectacle, which is the entire point.
From Fort Worth, Texas (commentary isn’t sure) in the late 1970s.
David Von Erich/Kerry Von Erich vs. Killer Karl Krupp/Gene Yates
David takes Yates (commentary doesn’t know him either) down and then Kerry does it to Krupp. Kerry and Krupp go to the some grappling on the mat until Krupp rams him face first into the mat. David comes in for a dropkick as Cornette gives us a history of the Von Erich Family and explaining why it went so terribly. Yates comes in and gets taken down by his arm, including an armbar. David adds some dropkicks and Yates is sent into Kerry’s boot, followed by a headlock takeover.
Krupp comes back in to kick away, setting up his own claw. Kerry is back in with an armbar but gets reversed into the stomach claw (and yes it still looks dumb). Kerry’s comeback is clipped off to Yates coming back in but getting caught with a terrible dropkick. David comes back in with a sleeper and everything breaks down, with David rolling Yates up for the pin at 9:49 shown.
Rating: C. You could see some skill from the Von Erichs but at the same time, both of them looked like they needed to be inflated a bit as they were looking rather tiny. At the same time, the fans were reacting to them and having them beat Krupp (an established heel) and…whomever Yates was made sense. The fans were going to go nuts for anything Von Erich related and those cheers would only get louder.
Post match the brawl continues with the Von Erichs clearing the ring without much trouble.
From Memphis, Tennessee, 1984. Also note that there is an error on the graphics, as the match is listed as the PYT Express, which is a different team than the Pretty Young Things.
Fabulous Ones vs. Pretty Young Things
That would be Stan Lane/Steve Keirn vs. Norvell Austin/Koko Ware. Keirn runs Austin over to start and stomps on his head but we’re clipped to Ware coming back in to clean house. Some backdrops have Lane in trouble and Austin comes in for two. Lane is sent outside so Ware can hammer away as Cornette is having a blast going over the Fabs’ history. Ware chokes with a rope on the floor before Austin hits an ax handle to Lane back inside.
Austin gets in a cheap shot on the floor, followed by a top rope forearm from Ware. Austin’s right hand drops Lane again as Cornette explains that he was supposed to manage the Fabs but they were so popular that it couldn’t happen. Ware tries a knee drop but goes a bit too high and falls over, earning a laugh from Meltzer.
Lane fights up and brings in Keirn but the referee doesn’t see it. Instead it’s Lane knocking Austin down and the Fabs switch, which is enough to break up Cornette and Meltzer’s ranting about how moves matter if you train the audience that they matter (preach it brothers). Keirn comes up to clean house as everything breaks down. A double DDT finishes Ware at 8:03 shown.
Rating: C+. The Fabs are a team who could do just about anything and be seen as huge stars, which is not something you see very often. The Pretty Young Things were a heck of a team in their own right but there is a reason the Fabs were such a big deal. No one, especially at this point, were going to top them. The match itself was good enough, but the crowd reactions were rather interesting.
From Memphis, Tennessee, 1984.
Jerry Lawler/Austin Idol vs. Road Warriors
The Warriors are REALLY young here. Animal hits a big press slam on Lawler to start and it’s already time for a breather on the floor. Hawk comes in for a gorilla press of his own and Lawler is outside again. We’re clipped to Hawk getting annoyed at Lawler’s right hand as commentary talks about how the Warriors are really not very good yet. Hawk charges into a raised boot in the corner but stalks Lawler anyway.
We’re clipped and Lawler pulls the strap down and starts hammering away before handing it off to Idol, who gets to make the comeback. Everything breaks down and Animal powerslams Lawler into the corner. Idol drops Animal and a double cover only gets two, with Animal shoving them away. Paul Ellering has the referee so Lawler and Idol’s rollups only get delayed twos. Animal clotheslines Hawk by mistake and Idol beats up Ellering until Hawk throws the referee out for the DQ at 5:35 shown.
Rating: C. Much like the previous tag match, it was more about the fans getting involved, though it didn’t have much time. Lawler and Idol were a dream team to try to fight off the new monsters. It only worked so well, but that was the case for just about anyone who was facing the Warriors at this time. Or just about any time.
From Memphis, Tennessee, December 12, 1983.
Southern Title: Jerry Lawler vs. Randy Savage
Lawler is defending in a cage and hammers away in the corner to start. This allows Cornette to go into a rather detailed history of Memphis vs. ICW, and of course he can rattle this stuff off with ease. Savage bails away but then spits at Lawler, which is enough to start a brawl. Lawler gets pulled down into a chinlock and Savage cranks away but we’re clipped to Lawler sending him into the cage.
Savage drops to the floor (as there is room between the cage and the ring) to pull out a foreign object. The referee doesn’t approve though so Savage goes after the arm instead. Lawler actually uses the rope to escape but the armbar goes on again and we’re clipped to Lawler fighting out. Savage knocks him into the corner again and kicks him down for two as commentary compares the two of them as being great workers. Savage kicks him down and out to the floor for an ax handle as Cornette explains the idea of getting more out of doing less.
Some choking and stomping lets Savage send him into the cage a few times as commentary talks about the cage being really ugly. Savage keeps up the beating on the floor but Lawler manages to whip him into the cage as well. For some reason Savage looks blinded and the comeback is on. Cornette explains the importance of connecting with human emotions but stops as Savage misses the elbow off the top of the cage (OUCH).
Somehow Savage is able to backdrop his way out of a piledriver attempt and the airplane spin takes us to old school. They’re both dizzy and Lawler’s right hand puts both of them down. Savage ax handles him on the floor again and some rams into the cage almost have the wall falling down. The strap comes down and Lawler UNLOADS on him with lefts and rights. Cue Jos LeDuc to break into the cage though and jump Lawler for the DQ (yeah it was a different time) at 13:36 shown.
Rating: B. I had a great time with this and you could tell how big the match really was for everyone. Lawler and Savage are of course two masters and they knew how to make this work very well, even with the cage being a bit less than what we’re used to seeing. Throw in a weird ending and things are a bit downgraded but this was far ahead of everything else on the set thus far.
Post match the big beatdown is on, including Savage dropping the top rope elbow. Some other wrestlers run in for the save.
From Mid-South Wrestling, 1981.
Mid-South Tag Team Titles: Ted DiBiase/Bob Roop vs. The Samoans
DiBiase/Roop are challenging and the Samoans have Ernie Ladd with them. Roop and Sika (spelled Sica in the graphic) start things off with Roop working on the arm. A right hand staggers Afa on the apron and it’s off to DiBiase for a headlock. It works so well that they do it again but Sika is back up to take over, with Afa coming in for the first time.
Commentary praises Ladd and DiBiase’s father Mike as Sika misses a headbutt. Roop comes back in to take over but Sika makes the save. A double headbutt drops Roop again and everything breaks down, with Ladd being dragged in. Roop covers Sika but the referee calls for the DQ at 6:19.
Rating: C-. What is with these finishes? Roop is someone I haven’t seen much of over the years and while he was a former Olympian, he was only the most interesting professional. On the other hand you have DiBiase, who is already showing the skill that would move him into a rather awesome future. The Samoans are…well you know who the Samoans are and they were doing their thing here.
From Indianapolis, Indiana, August 25, 1973.
WWA Tag Team Titles. Bruno Sammartino/Dick The Bruiser vs. Ernie Ladd/Baron Von Raschke
Oh my. Raschke and Ladd are challenging and have a VERY young Bobby Heenan with them. Local announcer Sam Menacker is guest referee. The Bruiser grabs Raschke with a headlock and Ladd comes in for an early save. We seem to be clipped to Sammartino coming in to knock Ladd down to a HUGE reaction. A backdrop gives Sammartino two with Raschke making the save. Sammartino punches Ladd out to the floor, followed by the jumping stomps back inside.
Raschke comes in and takes over on Sammartino, only to miss an elbow. It’s back to Bruiser who sends Raschke over the top before all four go outside. Sammartino almost gets to destroy Heenan but it’s back to Bruiser for a backdrop on Raschke. Bruiser covers so Raschke puts the foot on the ropes, only for Menacker to break it up and count three anyway at 4:54 shown. From what I can tell this was a 2/3 falls match so this was either heavily clipped or we don’t see the other two falls (Sammartino/Bruiser won 2-1).
Rating: C. Yeah you can only get so much with this much stuff cut out, but WOW that is a heck of a lineup. It’s the kind of a match that makes your eyebrows go up as there is almost no way this is boring. I absolutely could have gone for more of this and that’s a very nice feeling as the cutting wrecked what could have been an awesome showcase. Also of note: the fans were going NUTS for Sammartino here, which is at least a bit of proof that he could have been something better outside of just the northeast.
Post match Heenan yells at Menacker but can’t get anywhere.
From San Antonio, Texas, 1982.
Tully Blanchard vs. Manny Fernandez
They fight over a lockup to start and go to the ropes, leaving Blanchard to put a finger in Fernandez’s face. Fernandez wrestles him to the ground and grabs an armbar for some cranking. We’re clipped to Fernandez working on the leg before the crash out to the floor as commentary talks about the rather horrible training methods. Cue Gino Hernandez to jump Fernandez for the DQ at about 4:40 shown.
Rating: C+. This is another case where I could have gone for more of it as Fernandez is someone who could have worked well with just about anyone. On the other side you had Blanchard, who was still putting things together but you could see the skills. Blanchard and Hernandez were a heck of a team together and Fernandez getting a partner to fight against them could have gone rather well.
From Memphis, Tennessee, I believe June 11, 1984.
AWA Southern Title: Rick Rude vs. Jerry Lawler
Lawler is defending. We’re joined in progress to start with Rude hammering him down. This allows commentary to talk about the famous Memphis/Mid-South talent trade where Bill Watts completely outsmarted Jerry Jarrett and got the FAR better end of things. Lawler is knocked down so Rude’s manager Angel can get in some choking, followed by a suplex and neckbreaker to give Rude two.
The slow stomping continues but Lawler starts Hulking Up, with the strap coming down. The referee accidentally gets dumped though and Lawler drops Rude, only for….it looked like Jim Neidhart runs in for the save. Lawler hits the fist drop but Angel comes in, allowing Rude to hit an ax handle for the pin at 5:04 shown.
Rating: C+. This is where things get interesting as you have someone like Rude, who was hardly a big deal yet but the skill was absolutely there. Once he got some more of the details of the Ravishing character down, it was off to the races and a lot of that was due to getting to work with someone like Lawler. This was like a preview for the future, and it was a heck of a tease.
Post match Lawler is livid and goes after the villains, including a right hand to Angel, which sends the fans into absolute delirium (this was on some music videos that aired in Memphis and the reaction almost has to be seen to be believed). Tommy Rich and Doug Gilbert run in to help Lawler but the Pretty Young Things come in as well. Rich and Gilbert make the real save with some chairs.
From Indianapolis, Indiana, September 16, 1972.
Dick The Bruiser/The Crusher/Little Bruiser vs. Blackjacks/Bobby Heenan
Little Bruiser is about 3’7 and dropkicks a kneeling Heenan to start before the villains are all cleared out. Bruiser hammers away at Lanza and it’s off to Little Bruiser to hammer on the ribs. The neck crank goes on, with Little Bruiser coming in for some cheap shots of his own. Mulligan and Crusher come in, allowing Little Bruiser to get in another shot.
The hold is broken up and Crusher is taken into the corner as commentary talks about the Bruiser being a weird guy and a big riot in Madison Square Garden. Heenan comes in and get bitten by Little Bruiser, which doesn’t exactly go well. We settle down to Crusher poking Mulligan in the eye and Bruiser sends him into another eye poke. Lanza comes back in with some big forearms to the chest but for some reason it’s back to Heenan, who is promptly pummeled.
A backdrop gives Heenan a nasty landing and everything breaks down for the brawl on the floor. Back in and Heenan gets beaten up again and we’re clipped to Mulligan getting backdropped. Everything breaks down again and the Blackjacks are sent into each other. Then they’re whipped into Heenan as Cornette tries to remember the referee’s name. Little Bruiser is tossed onto the Blackjacks for two each, followed by a top rope splash to finish Heenan at 11:23.
Rating: B-. I’ve seen this match before and having Little Brutus out there to torment Heenan was great to see again. Heenan really was someone who could do just about anything and make it look good, which is even before you add in everything he could do on the microphone. The other four had a good brawl, but there was only one way this was going to end and that’s exactly what we got.
Post match the brawl stays on with the villains being cleaned out.
Some previews for the last three volumes wrap us up.
Overall Rating: C+. Again, you’re not watching this for the content for the most part (though some of it is good) but rather the commentary, which gives you some amazing stories and a nice background on so many of these people. We’ve heard of so many of them but it’s fascinating to get stories and insights from people who have either studied them for a long time or even worked with them. I’m not sure what the point is in trying to sell you on something like this though, as it’s the kind of thing you know if you’ll like or not right off the bat. I’m having a great time with it though and hopefully that continues.
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