This Day In Wrestling History - March 7

Date: March 7, 1994 (20 years ago)

Feature: Jerry Lawler promoted a "Memphis Memories" card, which packed the Mid-South Coliseum for a 10-man tag main event featuring Lawler, Eddie Gilbert, Doug Gilbert, Terry Funk, Austin Idol, Tommy Rich, Brian Christopher, Moondog Spot, Koko B. Ware, and Jimmy Valiant...

Torch Back-Issue: PWTorch Newsletter #270.

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PWTorch Cover Story
Headline: Lawler wins ten-man tag in front of 8,377
Largest crowd in Memphis in years turns out for "Memphis Memories" special
By Wade Keller, Torch editor

The USWA nearly filled the Mid-South Coliseum in Memphis, Tenn. for a special "Memphis Memories" card on Monday, Mar. 7. Stars of the distant and recent past gathered as part of one of the most successful U.S. regional shows in years. Overall attendance was 8,377 (7,934 paid, $32,000 gate), an increase of eight-times the usual attendance and more than double the usual gate.

In the main event, Jerry Lawler outlasted Eddie Gilbert, Doug Gilbert, Terry Funk, Austin Idol, Tommy Rich, Brian Christopher, Moondog Spot, Koko B. Ware, and Jimmy Valiant to win the "Best of Memphis" ten-man survival match.

The rules to the main event were that any wrestler could tag any other wrestler, although throughout the match, the six heels tagged among themselves as did the four babyfaces. The main event did not start until 10:20 p.m., 20 minutes past the usual ending time for the Monday cards. The match lasted 42 minutes.

The bout began with Doug vs. Christopher. Christopher tagged to Lawler. Doug took over offense until Lawler pulled down his strap and fought back enough to hot-tag Valiant, which received a big pop. Valiant tagged in Christopher, who pinned Doug at 5:00 for the first elimination. Rich then went on to pin Valiant. Lawler replaced the pinned Valiant and fought Rich for several minutes, finally pinning Rich with a reverse roll-up at 10:42. After the pin, Rich got on his hands and knees and hugged referee Frank Morell begging for the pinfall to be disallowed. Meanwhile, Idol started an "Out, Out" chant.

Lawler then faced off against Spot. Funk dragged Lawler out of the ring and beat on Lawler. Funk then tagged in and slapped Lawler several times. Lawler tagged in Christopher and Funk tagged in Spot. Lawler and Christopher double top rope fist dropped Spot for the pinfall at 17:24.

After Eddie, Funk, and Ware beat on Christopher, Christopher hot-tagged Idol which also received a big pop. Idol took over offense on Ware, dropping his knee to Ware's crotch, which caused the referee to disqualify Idol at 18:40. For ten minutes, Christopher took more of a beating from Ware, Funk, and Gilbert, including taking a double suplex from Funk and Gilbert, getting hit below the belt by Ware, and being the victim of yet another Terry Funk moonsault. The moonsault actually quieted the crowd for a moment of stunned silence, since they don't see that style of highspot too often in the Coliseum.

Lawler finally interfered, giving Christopher a chance to make a short Superman comeback and battle Ware. Christopher and Ware battled outside the ring where they were counted out at 31:00. The crowd booed the referee's decision.

It was down to Lawler vs. Gilbert and Funk. As Funk and Lawler brawled outside the ring, Gilbert put on a show inside the ring, raising his hand in victory. Throughout the match, Gilbert talked on the house microphone often, complaining about referee calls or taunting the babyfaces. At 34:00, Funk was DQ'd for piledriving Lawler (a move illegal in the USWA).

Gilbert then began to beat on the fallen and bloodied Lawler, DDT'ing him twice. Funk choked Lawler outside the ring with TV cables. Gilbert held Lawler by his straps and taunted the crowd. Lawler absorbed the punches and made a comeback. Gilbert threw Lawler into the referee, KO'ing the ref. Gilbert then attempted to piledrive Lawler, but Lawler backdropped out of it. Lawler then hit Gilbert with a top rope fistdrop and covered him for a pin at 42:00.

Afterward, Rich, the Gilberts, and Funk attacked Lawler and handcuffed him to the ringpost. Eddie shoved a mic in Lawler's face and tried to get him to say, "Eddie is king." Christopher and Idol made the save. Torch correspondent Pat Wade rated the bout ***1/2.

More than 90 percent of the fans stayed until the end of the card after 11 p.m., although some families did leave during the final hour of the show. There was an obvious sense that many of those attending had attended Memphis wrestling cards over the past 20-plus years and chose this as their one event to return to. Others may have been drawn by the line-up and will become regular customers again if future line-ups can sustain their interest.

"It was truly Memphis Memories in every sense," said a bloodied Lawler immediately after the card. "It shows our area is unique. Because of our area's economy, we can't charge 15 dollars a ticket. But for three or five dollars, the price of a movie, a lot of people see this as the best entertainment around."

Lance Russell hosted a ceremony before the main event where past stars of Memphis wrestling were honored. Those attending were Guy Coffee, Frank Morell, Billy Mack, Buddy Wayne, Kristine Jarrett (Jerry Jarrett's mother who was involved in the promoting of the old Nashville territory run by Roy Welch and Nick Gulas), Eddie Marlin, Jerry Jarrett, Treach Phillips, Tommy Gilbert (who was the only old-timer who was booed), Sylvia Hackney, Sara Lee, Corsica Joe, Phil Hickerson (who received the most cheers), Jim White (Lawler's first partner), Don and All Green (who headlined the first Mid-South Coliseum wrestling card), Sputnick Monroe, and Randy Hale (who organized the evening). Kristine Jarrett and the late Tojo Yamamoto were inducted into the Memphis Wrestling Hall of Fame.

"I sure am glad I was a part of it," said Lance Russell immediately following the card. "What was impressive is as much as anything, it was the nostalgia that brought the people out and the wrestling was secondary."

In reference to the attendance, Lawler added, "The reports of my death (in wrestling) are premature." Lawler said he hopes to have added new fans and brought back some old fans with this special, He hopes they return for more of the weekly shows. No matches were announced for next week's Coliseum event. USWA officials plan to explain on television this Saturday that the length of this card was not typical, in order to assure potential return customers that not all wrestling cards last past 11 p.m.

A renewed Lawler gave the impression after the card that he sees this show as a momentum builder for a renewed territory, hoping that he can revisit the most recent glory days of the Memphis territory from '84-'86 where $100,000 houses were not unheard of.

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