----Here is the TV report for the week from Larry Goodman. I will have the Ratings and my Random Thoughts up later this week.
Jerry Lawler’s Memphis Wrestling – Episode 9
Airing July 31, 2010 in Memphis on PAXtv 50
Brandon Baxter and Lauren Jenkins greeted us from ringside with the rundown for the upcoming hour. The camera pans the crowd as they go the break. Memphis must be a bigger party town than I suspected, because people are drinking beer at 11am.
“Mouth of South” Jimmy Hart gave a shout out from a fanfest in Chicago. Hart said the name of the show should be Jimmy Hart’s Memphis Wrestling. Hart was holding a photo of himself and Dennis Rodman.
For the umpteenth time, Ben Roethlisberger told us that Grandmaster Sexay is his favorite wrestler.
Baxter said “good morning” to Brian Christopher. BC called out Wolfie D. Baxter said he didn’t want a confrontation. Christopher talked to Wolfie about their respective exploits in WWE. He said Too Cool and PG-13 were history and suggested they form a tag team. “Wolfie D and Brian C, it even rhymes!” Wolfie admitted a part of him liked what Brian was saying and Memphis did to. “Who cares what the people think? This is money.” said Brian C. Wolfie said he always thought about what Memphis wanted. Brian C said screw them. Wolfie agreed to do one match to see how it worked out. Brian C put his sunglasses on Wolfie, and said let’s do it now. Baxter said those two together made him nervous.
(1) Brian C & Wolfie D beat Jocephus & Cody Melton in 4:51 Brian C interrupted Lauren’s intro to insult Jocephus by calling him “Bo-doofus”. Melton showed good spring on a ring clearing series of dropkicks. Jenkins asked if dropkicks were legal. Jocephus extracted revenge for all of 5 seconds before Brian C raked the eyes and tagged out. Jocephus got some offense on D. C clubbed Melton as he tried for a monkey flip on D. C and D were making Melton suffer, until C missed with a double knee off the top. It quickly broke down after the tag was made. Jocephus gave Wolfie a choke slam but the pin count never happened. Jocephus went for a choke slam on C, and D whacked him with the hubcap. Referee Downtown Bruno’s in during all this was amazing. C pinned Jocephus. Wolfie acted like he was still out of it from the choke slam.
The bumper featured country singer Jerrod Niemann.
Bert Prentice interviewed Matt Boyce. “Look nice for the camera, Matthew,” Bert said. Prentice said now that Boyce had time to think it over and learn about Bert’s credentials as the greatest manager of all-time, he would allow Boyce to tell the world he had changed his mind and was going let Prentice manage him. Boyce said he had done the pondering and the research. “And you know, the more I think about it, the more I think we could be good friends.” Bert got excited. Boyce threw an arm over Bert’s shoulder. “We could be really close.” Boyce said he had stayed up late thinking about it. “And the answer is still no. I don’t need your help.” Boyce shoved Prentice away. “So don’t you ever touch me again! And don’t you ever talk to me again!”
(2) Matt Boyce pinned Lani Kealoha in a Southern Title Tournament Match at 4:56. Lauren mispronounced Kealoha’s name as “Kahlua”. Prentice corrected her and offered his managerial skills to Keahola, who answered with a rude gesture. “I know you want me here at ringside by you, Brandy, but I’m trying to manage some stars to the gold and they’re just idiots around here.” Baxter suggested that Bert’s reputation has preceded him. Prentice said he was the only honest man left in pro wrestling, and Boyce needed someone to protect him from all the ruthless people in the business. They were trading holds and wrestling clean. Wolfie D and Brian C came to ringside and started yelling “bor-ing, bor-ing”. Prentice said the object was to make money. “We’re here to become the premier independent wrestling company in the United States and the world. Wrestling like these two goofs is not going to deliver us.” Bert said Boyce didn’t know how good he was. “Only I can unlock the potential in his body.” Baxter said he wasn’t touching that line. Boyce and Kealoha did a series of back and forth pin attempts until Boyce got the three count.
Video of Boog Powell, the former Baltimore Orioles first baseman and American League MVP. Powell, who retired in 1977, volunteered to be Lawler’s tag team “man” any time he needed one.
Jenkins introduced the Superstar Hotline brought to you by Tax Solutions featuring Terry Bradshaw. He retired in 1983, but at least he’s still in the public eye. Bradshaw said Lawler was his all-time favorite wrestler. Bradshaw said he knew Lawler when they wert both toddlers – “He used to choke me down and dropkick me”. Bradshaw said he knew then that Lawler would one day be the world’s greatest wrestler.
Baxter said JMLW liked to keep the viewers abreast of the happenings in WWE, and pitched to action from Summerslam 2006: Big Show vs. Sabu in an Extreme Rules Match.
The bumper was Ron Elder from KIX 106 putting his radio show over.
Baxter got prematch comments from Kevin White and Ga Ga Girl. White reiterated his story – that Su Yung was clumsy and fell into a door. Baxter said the story he heard was that White got mad because Yung got a WWE contract offer and he didn’t so he got physical with her. White said Baxter was taking the word of a woman that used to work at the Yum Yum nail shop.
“The kind man I am. I opened my arms and let Su Yung come in. Taught her everything she knows, watched her back and made her everything who she is today. And she comes out here and lies on national TV.”
White said he went out and found someone that was “nationwide known” in the Ga Ga Girl. White said Yung’s biggest mistake was putting her hands on him. Whites said he was going to punch Lawler - “punch him, punch him, punch him” – he said it nine times. White said then he was going to really truly, punch Yung’s teeth out. Baxter said that was enough. Commissioner Coffey said he would suspend White for 90 days if he touched Yung.
As Lawler and Yung made their way to ringside, Baxter talked about how this was a new Su Yung, who was excited about life now that she had gotten away from that domestic violator. Lawler told White he should try punching Ga Ga Girl’s face because it might improve her looks. The crowd popped for that line. “Let’s finish this thing between men like it should be, Ok pal?”
(3) Jerry Lawler (with Su Yung) beat Kevin White (with The Ga Ga Girl) via DQ at 5:18. “Hollywood” Jimmy Blaylock joined Baxter on commentary. He brought up how Tom Savini (pronouncing it as Salini) hates Lawler with a passion because he killed his best friend, Andy Kaufman. White tried running and cheating and when neither worked, he scrambled to the ropes for some TLC from Ga Ga Girl. Lawler ducked a sucker punch and started taking White to task. White distracted referee Jerry Calhoun and punched Lawler with a foreign object. More distraction so Ga Ga Girl could choke Lawler. White went for a top rope fist drop. Lawler out of the way. Down came the strap. Jab, jab, jab and a wind up haymaker than sent White flying. White raked the eyes. A backdrop by White fell apart. They redid it and White got a two count. Blaylock said Savini was his friend on MySpace and Facebook and that made them best friends in the world. Lawler had White set up for the piledriver when Ga Ga Girl hit Lawler from behind for the DQ.
Yung, wearing a short black dress, attacked Ga Ga and a catfight ensued. They ended up on the floor with Yung pounding on Ga Ga before it was broken up.
The Edge video aired again. The one where he said “Is this stupid show still on the air?” and walked away in disgust.
An ad for the Memphis Wresting Academy (Kevin White’s school) aired again this week instead of the ad for the Ken Wayne school.
With order restored, White and Ga Ga were at ringside with Baxter. Ga Ga said Yung was nobody, while she had been in Vogue and all over TV. Yung jumped out of the ring and got in Ga Ga’s face. Another catfight broke out. It took a bunch of refs and both wrestlers to break it up. Ga Ga was worried about her hair. The visual made it funny. Baxter said he needed to see about getting them in a match.
Coffey joined Baxter and Jenkins for the closing. Sure enough, the rematch between Yung and Ga Ga Girl was set for next week. I can hardly wait. Baxter said Brian C and Wolfie D will be back as well.
COMMENTS: Every segment had a clear purpose, and only 7 minutes was given over to WWE rehash (from 2006?) More so than last week, the matches were quickies to advance the angles, which was OK because they were decent enough to get the job done…A lot of the stuff was being played for laughs, but the abundance of unintentional humorous moments were funnier most of the planned comedy. You never know what pearl of wisdom might drop from Lauren’s beautiful lips…The tournament for the Southern title certainly has a weird format. Boyce seems to have a tournament match every week…Christopher continues to be a totally obnoxious heel, and he’s looking much crisper in the ring than he did on SAW TV earlier this year…Wolfie was an awfully soft touch for Brian C’s sales pitch. Waving the $ signs is all it took. I liked when Baxter said they made him nervous…Boyce and Kealoha actually had a good match. I guess the idea was to generate negative fan reaction to C and D’s rude behavior, but it may have backfired. They were having such fun that it made Boyce look like a dork…The segment with Boyce swerving Prentice was well played. Prentice was total slime on this show. It was great. White was a little scary doing the woman beater interview. The catfight was pretty good as catfights go. I dread the match next week. I think Yung has talent. I hope they program her with a female wrestler that can work. Carrying Ga Ga looks to be an impossible task based on their first match…Coffey has to be the most feeble looking commissioner in wrestling history…Memphis Wrestling needs to a recruiting drive for those bumpers they love so much, preferably pop culture personalities that were relevant some time in the last decade…My appreciation for Baxter grows by the week. This show is pretty loosely put together, and Baxter is the glue.
