Pro Wrestling Love vol. 23: Best of Memphis Wrestling 1983-1989 (Jerry Lawler, Randy Savage, Ric Flair)

Hey Yo Stud Muffins & Foxy Ladies,

Pro Wrestling Love vol. 23:

The Best of Memphis Wrestling 1983-1989

Objective:  Break up the Greatest Match Ever Project (hosted at gwe.freeforums.project.net) into more manageable chunks to help me build my Top 100 List for the project.

Motivation: Contribute to the discussion around these matches to enrich my own understanding of pro wrestling and give a fresh perspective for old matches and even hopefully discover great pro wrestling matches that have been hidden by the sands of time.

Subject: This twenty-third volume of Pro Wrestling Love is the beginning of the Top 12 countdown of the best matches to take place in Memphis Wrestling between 1983-1987. The time period is set because this was the peak of the territorial era in regards to footage. Footage before 1983 in regards to American wrestling is a dicey proposition. There are some gaps after 1983, but for the most part from 1983 on we have everything. Originally I was going to end this countdown in 1987 as believe that to be the end of the territorial era (Crockett buys out Watts and World Class & AWA are on their death bed), but I figure I might as well include 1988 and 1989 in this because Memphis is the one territory that does survive on into the 1990s. A best of Memphis is essentially a Best of Jerry “The King” Lawler so you can look forward to plenty of Jerry Lawler in this article. You can revisit past Pro Wrestling Love Volumes at ridingspacemountain.blogspot.com. You can check out the full version of these reviews in ProWrestlingOnly.com by going to the forums and finding the folders associated with the date of the match.

Contact Info: @superstarsleeze on Twitter, Instagram & ProWrestlingOnly.com.

Honorable Mentions

Rock ‘n’ Roll Express vs Randy Savage & Lanny Poffo – 6/25/84

Rock ‘n’ Roll Express vs The Nightmares - 1/18/85

Ricky & Robert got their start in Memphis and as the consummate Southern tag team they fit like a glove in Memphis. Their series with the invading Poffo brothers in 1984 is awesome. I remember renting a Memphis VHS from Video Horizon and seeing Savage piledrive Morton through a table and thinking it was the most batshit crazy thing I had ever seen. Their match with the Nightmares is just a great example of a fun, Southern tag team match.

Fabulous Ones vs Moondogs – 6/13/83

Fabulous Ones vs Moondogs – 1/9/84

The homoerotic vignettes that introduced the Fabulous Ones of Steve Keirn & Stan Lane to world are the stuff of legend. However, it should not be forgotten that the Fabulous Ones were asskickers. Is anyone better at the kick to the gut than Steve Keirn? As the biggest Stan Lane fan on the planet (check the PWO Greatest Wrestler Ever list), I love Stan Lane as an asskicking babyface. Their feud with the Moondogs is my choice for the best US Tag Team feud of the 1980s. These are just two matches to get you pumped for the main course later on in the list.

Jerry “The King” Lawler vs Bill Dundee – Memphis TV 10/19/85

Jerry “The King” Lawler vs Bill Dundee – Loser Leaves Town 7/14/86

Stop what you are doing right now and watch the Lawler vs Dundee match from Memphis TV 10/19/85. It is the greatest TV angle of all time. Seriously, go watch it. It fucking rules. To me the 1986 Loser Leaves Town match is the least of the Lawler vs Dundee trilogy, but it is still a badass match. It is more of a Greatest Hits match, but what a set of Greatest Hits. Many wrestlers would be lucky to have a match as great as their 1986 Loser Leaves Town Match, this was the last match out.

How did Jackie Fargo vs Tux Newman in a Cage NOT make the DVDVR Set :P

 #12. AWA Southern Champion Randy Savage vs Jerry Lawler - Loser Leaves Town 6/3/85

This is not your standard Loser Leaves Town, you see. Jerry Lawler has gone on record stating he will not wrestle anywhere but Memphis effectively meaning a loss will put Lawler out of wrestling for a year.

This is the anti-workrate classic. It proves that you don't need flashy MOVEZ~! and action every second to deliver a highly entertaining bout for the ages. In the first five minutes, there are only three punches thrown, but that is all they need to tell their story. In interim, you have the lunacy of Savage taking center stage, jawing with the crowd, spitting and throwing chairs in the ring. Savage is such a despicable, cowardly human in the outset that he works everyone in Memphis into lather. When he does eventually lock up with The King, Lawler is smart enough to know he is not going to get a clean break in the ropes. He blocks the Savage right and nails him right in the nose. The crowd roars and Savage sells it beautifully. They work this sequence again and on the third time when Savage thinks he has it figured out, Lawler ducks and puts him on his ass with a right cross. It is electric. Savage gets up pissed, humiliated and discombobulated. He puts arms out like an X over his forearm to defend himself and looks ridiculous. When Savage does manage to get control, Lawler immediately low blows him. He is not taking any chances in a high stakes Loser Leaves Town match. At this point, there is a cut in the action and thanks to Lance Russell’s time calls, it seems we are missing 13 minutes of this match, which is about half the match. The best spot of the match is when The King is trying to recuperate on the apron and Savage comes crashing into him with a high knee, which sends him flying onto the table in a Holy Shit bump! Lance lets us know that he has a cut around his eye. Later on in the match, we get a feel of just how nasty this cut is. Savage is a damn animal working that cut and torturing Lawler, who is screaming and staggering. The drama is really building that Lawler may lose because there seems no way out. Then just when you think all hope is lost, Lawler seems to be absorbing the punches. You think you have seen this story before, but then Savage really rears back and unleashes a devastating barrage of punches onto the eye of Lawler and then gnawing it. Savage forced the hand of Jerry Calhoun, senior Memphis ref, to save Lawler’s vision and call the match off. The crowd was in shock and Lawler was appalled. He got on the house mic and said Savage would have to pin him to the mat 1-2-3, his eyesight be damned! Lawler was granted his wish and Savage pounced on his eye, but now The King’s dander had been raised and he was really fighting on adrenaline. He unleashes one helluva comeback. Having watched a good chunk of Lawler, his comeback is what makes him truly special. It is absolutely insanely great energy! It is onslaught of fist drops and then a fatal PILEDRIVER~! That sends Macho Man out of Mempho out the door to the Big Apple and The King continues his reign!

The first half of this match is an excellent exhibition of how you can work a compelling match without MOVEZ~! And focus on character work. The second half is one of the most dramatic and violent endings to any match. The big problem is we are missing 13 minutes of 28 minutes, if we had it this match may be a candidate for the greatest match of all time. As is, I have a problem with deeming it a classic with really what is a disjointed because of the massive cut. What see is truly awesome and is a must see for any wrestling fan! ****1/4

#11. AWA World Heavyweight Champion Curt Hennig vs Jerry Lawler - 5/9/88

Memphis Wrestling Match of the Year, 1988

On this night, Jerry Lawler was not just King of Memphis, but King of the World! They all came out to pay homage to the King: The Fabulous Jackie Fargo was the special referee, Memphis athletes and even the Mayor of Memphis. They packed the Mid-South Coliseum to watch their hometown hero put his career on the line to win the World Championship that eluded him the best 14 years. He had faced them all Brisco, Race, Bockwinkel, Flair and Martel. Now standing across the ring was Curt Hennig. Not to take anything away from Hennig but how great it would it have been for Bock to be in this position. 

The first ten minutes were surprisingly sluggish. Some nice bumps by Hennig early off the Lawler punches. In a surprise move, Fargo called timeout so that he could hit the atomic Drop on the shrimp manager they gave Hennig. Memphis was always trying to replicate the success of Jimmy Hart but to no avail. They did some head locks. The reverse waist lock by Hennig went on a while.

The action picked up when Lawler missed a leg drop. Hennig got the Boston Crab. Eventually they tumble to the outside where Hennig busts Lawler open with the post. Hennig throws Lawler into a lot of hard metal objects. Lawler fires up on the apron but Hennig butts him in the midsection. Great cutoff. Best spot of the match they ref bump Fargo and Hennig hits a piledriver (illegal in Memphis) and Hennig gets two. What a great nearfall. Fargo starts up with that homecoooking with refusing to come by falls for Hennig. Even Lance Russell is saying you gotta explain that one to me. Some really good slugfest. Hennig at the end was just walloping the cut eye. Great punches. Lawler finally rears back and let's him have it. Catapult into the post...1-2-3! NEW WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION JERRY THE KING LAWLER! Memphis loses its shit.

Great moment with a rousing finish stretch. Definitely a match that would be better JIP. I didn't love the ending. It didn't feel climatic. I think the Fist Drop as a definitive ending would be great. What a feel good moment and great action down the stretch!

#10. NWA World Heavyweight Champion Ric Flair vs Koko Ware - 11/18/85

You forget how big Ric Flair is because he very rarely gets to wrestle people he is larger than. This is a chance for Flair to bully his opponent like he did with Morton. The beginning of the match is all about establishing Koko as a challenger. Lance does a great job narrating this story. Stating Koko is nervous about this opportunity and that he is starting with fundamentals (headlock) to get himself a rhythm and credits Dusty with this advice is fucking excellent. That's what commentary should be! Lance states Flair thinks he has himself a cakewalk, but beware of Koko (pun intended). After the headlocks, Flair tries to intimidate Koko with some shoving, but Koko shoves him right back in a great spot Flair takes a bump. . "I think Flair was thinking he was just dealing with another local yokel" - Lance Russell, best commentator ever.

Flair and Koko have an excellent slugfest. Flair chops and Koko hits him with those sweet Mempho punches in an absolutely electric segment. Flair Flop! Koko more punches and another nearfall! Crossbody! Flair tries a different tact, amateur takedowns, but ends up embarrassed falling out of the ring. Flair meets him with a kick to the midsection on a test of strength and BIG chop. Not the best transition to heat, but Flair works an excellent heat segment on the arm. He was really good at arm work. Koko tries punches and chops, but Flair is able to bully Koko in a way he cant with a smaller opponent. I like that wrinkle a lot. Koko gets the sleeper! The more I think about the sleeper is a great way to get out of the heat. It allows the babyface to get his energy back and sap Flair's energy. Smart spot calling by Flair! Flair cuts off again with a suplex into a DOUBLE STOMP! My favorite Flair move. Figure-4, baby! Dusty cheers on Koko and Koko reverses the pressure! Flair was really good dynamic wrestling. It never feels my turn, your turn, but no one has complete and utter control over the other person. Flair is always fighting back and Koko is too. I think that's what makes Flair matches so great. Ok, fun spot even if it is anachronism was when Flair punched Koko's head on the sunset flip and hurt his hand. Flair kneedrop missed! Good setup for Koko figure-4. Koko stays on the leg and starts throwing some serious chops. Fire fight! Koko is coming back and DROPKICK that Lance was hyping. Another dropkick! Here comes Dundee! Flair comes crashing into a distracted Koko with a knee from behind to win the match. Dusty & Koko clear the ring. Really great finish and Flair gets to over.

Great Flair vs underdog match and even though Flair spent so much time as champion we don't have a lot of these matches. The first third is great at establishing Koko as a threat. The middle third is Flair kicking ass, but always letting Koko get his hope spots. I think that is so crucial. Flair never just dominates a segment. His opponent fight back and he has to cheat by grabbing the hair or knee to the midsection to maintain advantage. It is these transient moments that keep the match engaging because there is a real sense of struggle. I loved the set up for each of the figure-4s. I think sometimes Flair just calls them randomly on his own opponent, but this time his timing was great. Koko had just made a decent comeback and he looked to extinguish with his figure-4 and Koko was set up by him missing a knee drop. Perfect finish run with Koko getting two dropkicks right before Dundee fuck finish, but Flair still gets the pin to get us a real finish but protect Koko. Excellent Flair match in a year of fucking greatness. People talk about 1989, but holy shit 1985, what a year for Flair!

#9. New Fabulous Ones (Tommy Rich & Eddie Gilbert) vs Phil Hickerson & The Spoiler - 

Memphis Street Fight 6/25/84

Holy shit! Memphis this is what I am talking about! Awesome, bloody brawl! Hickerson & Spoiler are dressed in their janitor blues. Rich is busted open early by Hickerson and a chain. Hickerson seems like an ornery fellow. Gilbert tries to grab a mic stand to help Tommy, but he ends up falling. Rich turns the tide on Hickerson by driving his head into the table. This is a wild, wooly affair. Hickerson bleeding buckets. There is a pool of his blood on the floor. Gilbert goes for the mask of Spoiler, but Spoiler gets his boot and clobbers him. Gilbert bleeding now. Spoiler should blade under his mask! Spoiler starts walloping Tommy with his boot, but takes three shots before it registers because Tommy Rich is in the Zone! Rich takes his boot off and starts going to town. This is an amazing Rich performance. Gilbert PILEDRIVES The Spoiler on the outside!!! WOW! Rich has a loaded mask and headbutts Hickerson for the win. One of the all-time great Southern brawls and one of the best sub-ten minutes matches in history! That is what a street fight should be. 

#8. AWA World Heavyweight Champion Rick Martel vs Jerry Lawler - 10/12/85

Ornery Rick Martel is awesome! He seems totally pissed that he is even in this match in a really good way. He is just pissed off from the start. it is a really cool dynamic for the usual white meat babyface to play a heel. It is not like he is bad person. He is just having a shitty day and it shines through in the match. So he is more prickly than usual, it allows the fans to be decidedly pro-Lawler without Martel compromising his character. Lance Russell and his partner really play up his unwonted behavior. In addition, it makes for an excellent match and really Rick Martel best match as a heel I have ever seen. This is a very good Lawler performance, but I think Martel carried the day in this one. After failing at achieving the world championship in past efforts, you see Lawler has really put a lot of pressure on himself to win this match. Right from the outset, you see Lawler going for three different types of pinning combinations to keep the champ off balances and when Martel does give Lawler a clean break, Lawler punches him right in the mouth and goes for the pin. Lawler is here to win the title and nothing else. I love that focus. Martel is on edge and the fans chants for Lawler really gets under his skin. Martel tries to fire up and Lawler just makes him look foolish. So Martel kicks The King's leg out from under him. Martel works a masterful match around attacking Lawler's leg, which the announcers note that he had a severe injury that caused Jerry to miss most of 1980. Lawler does a great job of selling Martel's torture of the leg, which includes a variety of stomps, strikes, toeholds and a figure-4. Lawler is kicking him off, but Martel is using closed fists and the hair to relentlessly attack the leg. When Martel misses a seat drop, Lawler fires up, but he has to fire up on one leg. While the punches are finding their mark, he is hesitating because of the bum wheel, which makes him miss a fist drop and Martel pounces on the leg again. Love it! Martel misses on an elbow drop. Lawler is up and it is now or never! HE PULLS THE STRAP DOWN! Martel is great at rocking back for The King's huge punches in the corner. Lawler goes for a running fist, but runs into the ref. Martel wants the spinning toehold, but comes away with Jerry's boot. He wallops him! Lawler kicks out. Now he has the boot and clocks the champ. The ref sees that and DQs Lawler. THWARTED! BULLSHIT! I did not love the finish for quickly Lawler was able to recover and hit Martel with the boot. They were better off having Lawler duck Martel, get the boot and clock Martel. Lawler sends the crowd home happy by hitting a charging Martel with a boot. Besides the finish, this is a hellacious championship match. One of my favorite championship matches, I have seen in a long time. Lawler wants to win so bad early, but Martel takes advantage of a weakness and Lawler has to mount a classic comeback, but a series of unfortunate circumstances means the World Championship is just outside his grasp again. Martel's performance here is awesome! Just great character work conveying himself as a frustrated wrestler that just wants to get this over with, but has a tough time early on and then is just relentless on Lawler's leg. I have the No DQ match with Bock over this, but just by a hair, great, great stuff!

#7. Southern Tag Team Champions New Fabulous Ones (Tommy Rich & Eddie Gilbert) vs

PYT Express (Koko Ware & Norvell Austin) - Falls Count Anywhere 5/18/84

Memphis Wrestling Match of the Year, 1984

Now this is more like it! Super heated brawl! There is really not much to recap. For about 12 minutes, it is a balls to wall slugfest. With all due respect to Norvell and Rich, Gilbert and Koko (or should I say Stagger Lee as the announcer keeps calling him) owned this. Gilbert was a heat seeking missile for Pretty Young Things just tackling them at every turn. A Koko Ware vs. Eddie Gilbert from 1984 is a new dream match for me. Holy shit! They had insane chemistry. I loved Koko breaking a cane over Gilbert's back and then jabbing him in the throat. In fairness, Rich was a tremendous hot tag. Actually good arena brawling! Oh ECW why could you not be more like Mempho! They end up on a stage in the back of arena and Rich slugs the ref triggering a DQ. I actually booed in my chair in 2016. I was pissed! What a lame finish! It is falls count anywhere! Let there be a winner! Super fun, This is what I expected out of Memphis! So much energy and hate. Amazing brawling. Loved the heat segment on Gilbert and the roll through to Rich for the hot Tag. Best arena brawling you will ever see. The non-finish especially in a Fall Count Anywhere is a real buzzkill, but this ruled!

Macho Madness: The Macho Beginnings

Hey yo bromigoes and bromigas,

Goddamnit, Miami. Here I am preaching your Good Word and you make me look like a tool. Come on, Bron Bron and D-Wade, time to prove Love does conquer all, right? Right? RIGHT?

Bcuz we are just Too SWEEEEEET!

This one will be a bit shorter due to my other obligations as we hit the way-back machine all the way back to late 1985. Randy Savage is actually a second-generation wrestler as he is the son of Angelo Poffo, who has a brother, Lanny Poffo best known for his run as The Genius in the WWF. Poffo ran an outlaw territory in Tennessee that conflicted with the Lawler/Jarrett enterprise in Memphis. These promotions took bitter swipes at one another in what many believe to be a shoot. Savage, being the top dog in the ICW, actually would publically call out Jerry “The King Lawler (top star in the rival promotion) with some scathing remarks. In 1983, the Poffo promotion closed up shop and Savage was greeted with some unexpected good news, Lawler and Jarrett were willing to take him in and setup him as a top heel. Memphis Wrestling was one of the premiere promotions in the country at this point (this is before McMahon created the idea of the national promotion).

Savage was instantly programmed into a hot feud with top babyface, Jerry “the King” Lawler and the fans were out for his blood. The Macho Man and The King battled inside a steel cage in a match rated as highly as ****3/4, but I have only seen clipped version. Only in Memphis would a cage match end in DQ as another heel (Josh Le Duc) scaled this rickety cage to attack Lawler. Savage would team up with his brother Lanny to feud with the good ‘ol Southern boys, the Rock N Roll Express. Savage, apparently got nuclear heat when he piledrove the loveable Ricky Morton through a table. This was in 1984 and was among the first table spots and it was before people thought to pre-cut tables. Savage turned face at some point and feuded with likes of Rick Rude, before he was ravishing. By the time, summer of 1985 came around, Mr. McMahon came knocking at his doorstep to make him a top superstar in his great nationalization project for his WWF. Savage, again a heel, lost a Loser Leaves Town match against Lawler with a thrilling finish (they feigned a Savage victory and the place went nuclear).  Savage’s Wildman character-work was recognized quickly by McMahon as ground-breaking and within 6 months he was programmed to work with biggest superstar in the history of wrestling: Hulk Hogan.

Yes, explosion of the Mega-Powers and the love triangle with Elizabeth is the most memorable chapter of wrestling’s greatest frenemies, but 1985 marked the beginning. The Mecca of the WWF has always been Madison Square Garden (the WWF started off as the Northeast territory) and Hogan worked all the big names in the main event. For two years, McMahon plucked the greatest wrestlers across the world and fed them to his indestructible hero, The Immortal One. Savage proved an interesting threat to the reign of the Hulkster smaller than Big John Studd, King Kong Bundy, bigger than the incendiary “Rowdy” Roddy Piper, crazier than “Mr. Wonderful” Paul Orndorff, and more aerial than fellow crazy fucker Terry Funk. Plus he had someone in his corner that none of these competitors as he had the charming, lovely Miss Elizabeth. The incredible, volatile, yet productive relationship between these two revolutionized pro wrestling as Elizabeth essentially created a niche for women personalities in the product. So with that introduction we take a look at the first trilogy between the Macho Man and the Hulkster.

Look at those million dollar smiles

WWF World Heavyweight Champion Hulk Hogan vs Macho Man Randy Savage

December 1985 Madison Square Garden

Savage and Elizabeth are in matching blue and white sequins, but Savage throws it off with a pair of yellow shield sunglasses. I guess that foreshadows his wacky color combinations in the mid-90s. Gorilla Monsoon and Lord Alfred Hayes are on commentary. Real American hits and the crowd goes bananas. Hogan is the epitome of the 80s so cheesy, so shameless, just fun. This version of the WWF title looks like just another title, McMahon would a better job making his main title look unique on all iteration. Yes that is my nice way of complimenting the stupid-ass spinner belt. Savage jaws at Hogan because he is MACHO and FEARS NO MAN! Savage with an early posedown and Lord Alfred doesn’t get humor. Early establishment that Hogan is stronger than Savage. He blows a kiss at Liz. LOOK AT THOSE EYES AND SEE HOW THEY LUST!!!!

Savage in full Memphis heel mode looks to stall early on with lots of powdering out to the floor. Savage throws some furniture in the ring looking to psych out Hogan, but Lord Alfred doesn’t grasp this bit of psychology because he sucks. Savage gets his first bit of offense thanks to a thumb to the eye, but he misses a straddle on the ropes. Hogan pummels Savage with some power moves, an atomic drops catapults Savage out to the floor. Macho Man, living up to his name, hides behind Elizabeth and Hogan being the Paragon of Virtue he is returns to the ring. Hogan catches Savage off the top rop in mid-air and Lord Alfred is besides himself. Backbreaker and Savage goes back to the tried and true strategy of hiding behind Elizabeth. Savage gets caught jawing with a fan and Hogan attacks him from behind, but Savage gains control with a pair of double axe-handles, one onto the floor.  Savage now has total control using hit and run tactics. Savage, in Memphis heel form, plays a lot to the crowd. Hogan presses Savage off him and here comes the HULK-UP!!! HE FEELS NO PAIN!!! Big boot and Savage takes a powder, smart move. Hogan picks up Elizabeth and gently puts her down to get at the Macho Man. Hogan telegraphs the back body drop and Savage gets the adavantage to hit the big elbow. Macho Man is pissed because he got a close two. Hogan runs over the ref by accident and a high-knee to the back of Hogan’s head sends him crashing to the outside. So Savage gets the World Title and climbs to the top and smashes it over Hogan’s head. He revives the ref and helps him countout Hogan. The commentary team brow-beat the listener that Savage has not won the title because it a victory by countout. Savage decks the ref for trying to take belt from him. So he leaves the Garden with Hogan’s belt and Elizabeth over his shoulder like a true Macho Man.

This by the way is one of the ultra-rare Savage victories over the Hulkster as he would never beat Hogan by pinfall or submission. I liked this match a lot as an 80s match with lots of classic heap heel work by Savage. Hogan played his role well as the powerful champion trying to contend with Savage’s distractions and cheap-shots. Not enough action to make it a must-watch, but it is the first match between these two legends so I would give it a look-see. ***1/2

Classsic Picture of the Hulkster from 1986.

WWF World Heavyweight Champion Hulk Hogan vs “Macho Man” Randy Savage

January 1986 Madison Square Garden

We hit the ground running as soon as Hogan slides into the ring Savage is on the attack laying the boots on him. Hidden highlight, Savage keeps on his impressive, blue sequined robe so as not to telegraph it to the Hulkster. Little things, people. A much smarter start to the match for Savage than the cocky posedown start, O God he is learning.  Mean Gene believes that Savage is Hogan’s toughest opponent yet. O THANK THE COMMENTATING GODS!!! JESSE THE BODY VENTURA IS HERE! After listening to Lord Alfred’s vapid musings this will be like water to my ears having spent a night in the desert.

Savage clobbers Hogan with a double axe-handle. Hogan still has belt on and Savage still has his shades on. Savage chokes Hogan with his own shirt, and now has the belt and beating the living hell out of Hogan. Gorilla and I are amazed at the incompetence of the ref, while Ventura is wringing his hands at the prospect of Hogan losing. Liz thinks Savage is going overboard, which causes him to measure her with his hand on her chin. The crowd has been bonkers. Hogan gets his energy back and takes over on Savage with power moves and a “sucker-puncher” according to Jesse. Hogan is now wearing the Macho Man’s shades and mocking Savage’s crazy antics to the delight of the crowd.  After an oversell of the atomic drop onto the outside, Hogan rams Savage head-first into the steel ring post and Jesse demands a disqualification. Savage is busted wide open.  Gorilla points out the earlier leniency of the ref and now he should be fair. Gorilla and Jesse were so good together plus I love how Jesse says “Gorilla”. All Hulkster with punches on the outside to the Macho Man and throws him back in. Savage’s selling is a thing of beauty. His bumping for Hogan makes Hogan look like a Superman. We have a five-alarm bladejob as Savage’s blood is all over Hogan’s chest. Ventura is pissy about Hogan’s choking. Elizabeth distracts Hogan long enough for Savage to take control. He sends Hogan shoulder first into the ringpost and then comes off the top onto Hogan with a double axe-handle. Now another but inside the ring and follows it up with a big elbow. RUH ROH!!! HULK-UP!!!! HE FEELS NO PAIN!!!! Hogan clobbers Savage with a huge clothesline in the corner and Savage is on spaghetti legs. BIG BOOT! Ventura wants a ref stoppage and Gorilla notes that this ref blows because he has not insomuch as checked on Savage’s cut.

Hogan hoists Savage up onto his shoulder to attempt another head-first ram into the steel ring post. This time Elizabeth is there to stop him from doing. He turns around and Liz makes haste to the other post. Savage is able to slide down his back and send him into the post. Savage beats out the ref’s count and declares Macho Man the winner, which was confusing because this was the suckiest ref ever and no one heard or saw a count.

Hogan, a sore loser, attacks Savage after the match with a bear-hug slam. Ventura points out the hypocrisy of Hogan abusing Savage after the bell. While the wrestlers are separating the, Savage gets a cheap-shot in, which Ventura rightfully defends. Ventura points out this is two victories in a row for the Macho Man albeit by countout, which just demonstrates that Hogan has a yellow-streak a mile wide and was afraid of losing his title to Savage. Loved this match, a bit on the short side. Savage’s bladejob was brutal and his bumping made Hogan look like a million bucks No wonder Hogan preferred working with him rather than the immobile Bundy. Hogan had his working boots on tonight, too short to be truly spectacular. ***1/2.
Next up is the big blowoff match between the Hulkster and the Macho Man at Madison Square Garden for the WWF World Title in a lumberjack match. Hogan you will have nowhere to run and hide now. In the meantime, Savage has won the Intercontinental Championship from Tito Santana more on that later.

See always told everyone that animal-print is MACHO~! Haters bite me!

WWF World Heavyweight Champion Hulk Hogan vs “Macho Man” Randy Savage – Lumberjack Match

February 1986 Madison Square Garden
The quality sucks a bit on this one, but beggars cant be choosers. Savage and Liz are celebrating Halloween early with matching orange and black outfits. Fuck. Lord Alfred is on commentary. Gorilla mentions he stole the title from Tito. Hogan busts out his alternate blue/white uniform for this special blowoff match. The commenters mention that Bundy had injured his ribs the previous week. This time around, Hogan is the one who attack from behind. We get a slugfest to start and Hogan wins. Now he is cracking the belt over the Savage’s head blatantly in front of the ref, this time not drawing the ire of Gorilla. Hypocrite. Hogan goes for the usual atomic drop spot, but surprises me with a belly-to-back suplex. You are a sly bear, Hulkster. Hogan sends Savage to be among the lumberjacks.  Hogan goes out to beat on Savage running the point of the match. Now Hogan lifts him up by the throat choking him and now we hit the bearhug. He sends him crashing into the corner. It has been all Hogan and we get the atomic drop. A heel trips Hogan and he goes out there and gives them the business. The commentators puts over his guts going into the lion’s den.  This affords Savage the opportunity to recover and a double axe-handle onto the ribs garners Macho Man a two-count. Savage wisely sends Hogan to the wolves and they attack Hogan punctuated by Bundy crushing Hogan against the steel ring post. Savage is like fuck it, why don’t you guys just finish him. Bundy does it again for Savage with pleasure. Macho Man connects with another double axe-handle on the ribs and a sitout clothesline by Savage. However, Macho Man can only get two-counts. Now, Savage exposes the ribs and hits him with another double axe-handle and another two-count. The crowd is coming alive for Hogan as they sense his desperate situation. Yet another double axe-handle onto the exposed ribs and Savage cant control Hogan to gain the pinfall. THE BIG ELBOW~! HIUGE KICK-OUT!!! THE COCAINE IS KICKING IN NOW!!! HULK-UP!!! Hogan no-sells an eye-rake. A fucking douchebag babyface (that idiot George "The Animal" Steele) trips Savage into the leg drop and Hogan gets the win. Hogan was such a spaz.

Great match again, but instead of a violent bloody brawl, they did an excellent Hogan match where he had to overcome tremendous odd. However, Savage needed to vary his offense and do more interesting character work on his heat segment.  I am going with ***.

Sorry HonkyTonk Man, this guy was a greater I-C Champion. 

While Savage lost his big blowoff, he did win the Intercontinental title (the secondary title in the WWF, a sort of stepping stone to the World Title) from Tito Santana at the Boston Garden (hometown pop). Here we go:

WWF Intercontinental Champion Tito Santana vs “Macho Man” Randy Savage
February 1986 Boston Garden

DVD Quality and Jesse Ventura on commentary, I am halfway to Heaven. I love the old-school setup on the parquet floor with no paddings. Savage and Liz are met by catcalls and boos. Santana was pretty over with the Boston crowd. Tito, who had been pissed at Savage, throws his shirt at the Macho Man. Savage does have an amazing ability to get under someone’s skin. Ventura says he would pay to see this match. I have watched this many a time and I do love it. Away we go as Savage designates where Liz should stand.

Tito wins the first lock-up. The collar elbow tie-up is a stalemate. They do some standing amateur wrestling, Savage gets to the ropes and do some cheap heat tactics with the front row. Gorilla puts over Savage’s character as a jealous boyfriend. Savage gets the first strike in on Tito, Gorilla suspects a thumb to the eye. Savage jaws with some more fans and Chico (Jesse’s name for Tito) seeks out Savage. Big shot off the top for Santana, Savage turns it into a track meet, but as Chico gives chase, Savage has the opportunity to waffle him.  Big atomic drop for Tito, but Savage’s foot was in the ropes. Eye-rake gives Savage the advantage and Gorilla reminds us that Savage has to beat Tito. Sitout clothesline gets only a two-count and Savage is shocked and frustrated. Savage perched up high connects with a double axe-handle. Gorilla critiques Savage’s cover and the fans gets behind Santana with Tito chants.  Savage delivers a double axe-handle onto the floor onto Santana. Ventura is worried that Savage may turn to get himself intentionally disqualified to preserve his belt. Santana takes advantage with strikes and gets his a second-rope flying elbow to the head of Macho Man. Savage’s foot was on the rope. Ventura sends “Unbelievable”, which always makes me giggle. Seriously when he says “Unbelievable “ it is the coolest thing ever. I tweeted about it once.  No retweets. Bo. *tear*

Tito runs into a knee into the corner and Savage only gets a two-count, but he presses Savage onto the ref. Santana gets a small package on Savage, but the ref is groggy.  Savage wrecks his knee on a missed knee-drop. Chico is going after the leg like a shark says Jesse and Tito slaps on the figure 4 leglock in the center of the ring. Savage reverses the pressure and makes the ropes. Gorilla commends Savage on his intestinal fortitude. Savage looks for something in his tights, but Chico suplexes him back into the ring. Santana looks for the Figure 4, but Macho Man kicks him off. Savage back on the apron fishes in his tights for a foreign object. He swings and misses and as Chico belly-to-back suplexes into the ring, Savage WAFFLE-LEGS HIM!!! The pin is academic and Savage is your NEW INTERCONTINENTAL CHAMPION!!!

“You gotta call it brilliant, Gorilla” – Jesse. Great, athletic encounter from two of the workhorses of this era. I think more near falls for Tito would have helped the drama of this match, maybe more work on Savage’s leg. I never really popped out of my seat thinking “Oh damn, I thought for sure that was the finish.” Add some false finishes and a better heat segment and you have a classic. As it stands, ***1/2.

Next we look at the matches that made the Macho Man one of the greatest I-C Champions of all-time during his over one-year title reign. The climax will of course be against Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat at Wrestlemania III in front of 93,000 people in what some herald as the greatest match in history.