Jerry Lawler & Bill Dundee (Jim Cornette Fav Memphis Episode) 1983

[@LB-qg1lg]

Saturday morning Mid-South wrestling and Dick Williams Magic Hour. Who remembers both?

[@henrick_the_lover]

I actually was at a taping of Magic Hour, it was awesome. I learned to do the finger thing and still do it to this day.

[@ultramariox74]

I remember watching Dick Williams Magicland.

[@TNBadBoy]

@@ultramariox74 Dick William's wife was his assistance with some really bad cartoons, but I LOVED IT!

[@bradanderson6275]

Me too​@@henrick_the_lover

[@stlpinstriping7772]

No script. No choreography. Just an angle and let 'em work it. Lawler and Dundee were awesome at promos. Those Electro-Voice mics proved their toughness for decades.

[@drgwhatsthetruth3783]

Damn! Grew up watching Memphis wrestling...love it, love it, love it!

[@ThirdPositionMallow]

Patera is gold. “And I might add, a WET paper bag.” LOL

[@haroldpuckett9196]

Man this takes me back every Saturday morning.

[@kennethchalmers6559]

Brings memories of my childhood. 11:00am Saturday Morning. WMC Channel 5.

[@Scottdrruryiphone]

Lance Russell: “….circumvent the intent…” So articulate. So different than anything else in wrestling.

[@drgwhatsthetruth3783]

Mr. Russell was the best commentators ever.

[@aewreddit2220]

That's a pretty dumb thing to say in almost any scenario imaginable

[@markmullins8622]

​@@aewreddit2220 quiet troll

[@fatharold1788]

He was not appreciated in WCW like he should have been.

[@seangoodwin3046]

He's in his own class. It is pacing. How he lets them play out or cuts them off, or gets nervous or relaxed; he is controlling the pacing of the show. And of course, the two great interviews of the area explain why this is important. Then Eddie Marlin, does what he does best, stays out of the way (that is not meant to be an insult, some find this hard to do).

[@travisbrady1477]

Miss that shit alot didn't know I was watching the best wrestling I was ever going to see looking back

[@kerrib1000]

Dundee said Lawler is the Cadillac. He’s the Lincoln!! I love it!!!!

[@sailordude2094]

Watching for the first time on a Saturday in 2024, loving it! Thanks for a great channel!

[@joepadgett6683]

I remember this episode. It made me feel great knowing I could bench the same as Dundee. I was 14.

[@imafreakinhistorian2169]

Dude ,...lol....Dundee could bench 500 lbs.

[@joepadgett6683]

@@imafreakinhistorian2169 not even in his dreams

[@imafreakinhistorian2169]

@@joepadgett6683 Bull shit , I've seen him do it. Ask someone who know him, if you dont believe me .

[@joepadgett6683]

@ImaFreakin Historian well it was 200 on that bar my friend.

[@imafreakinhistorian2169]

@@joepadgett6683 Yes It was . But seriously . Dundee used to blow people away with his bench pressing , working out in Hendersonville . When Jarrett ran Dallas, Kerry Von Erich was blown away with Bill's bench . When I saw people commenting about the weight bar, I had to share that . He was the same size a Kevin Sullivan, KoKo Ware . Bill Dundee was a Bad Ass . He had to be to make it through the WCW Days in Australia .

[@scottjackson1420]

Once I enrolled at Ole Miss and saw THIS on cable TV, I fell in love with the stuff. I feel regret that I never drove up to the Mid South Coliseum to see them.

[@rancidcrawfish]

Lance was such a pro and a gentleman

[@MrSuperdelf]

Why is this so much better than today's wrestling? I know both are staged but i forget it's staged when im watching 70's and 80's Memphis as opposed to being constantly reminded in today's wrestling

[@zygmundzygmundowski]

I agree with you. No one or at least very few wrestlers these days have the mike skills.

[@tonyjonesbassoonwhippet2271]

Fundamentally, both the presentation and format are different to what we have today. Secondly, the content is different to. Wrestling is still the same today in its essentials; faces, heels, turns, comebacks, feuds etc. But wrestling just doesn't take itself seriously in the same way anymore

[@GeoGuy388]

Three big factors: today has scripted promos, guys who aren't as good at talking, and the storylines aren't nearly as good.

[@floridagator1765]

Well...when you are a kid, you think EVERYTHING is real. WHICH makes it better. Most kids grow up believing in Santa Claus 🎅

[@michelvanbriemen3459]

The outcomes were staged together with stipulations, but the paths to the outcomes weren't staged. These guys didn't have a script and cut every promo on the fly.

[@travobrady768]

As talented as they are it was lance Russel that makes the magic happen such good memories

[@wc2998]

Always loved some Jimmy Heart, but especially in Memphis, before he became a cartoon character of himself..... not only charismatic but sinister and believable, really fun to watch.

[@jamalyoung-zq9gl]

He was the king of Memphis

[@RockandrollNegro]

*Hart

[@AldenRDavis]

Jerry Lawler later teamed with Dutch Mantell against Bill Dundee and Buddy Landel a few times in 1986 and later defeated them in a 28-fall "Texas Death Match."

[@shirleypena4133]

I swear that Bill Dundee looks years younger here than his actual age of forty. The man was just gorgeous and a real BEAST.

[@kevinjohnson-lf3kj]

80 years Old now..Still has Jet Black Dyed Hair..all beat to Crap

[@lackdeaver9934]

The old Diversified Products weight set. Could buy the whole set at any TG&Y in the 70’s and 80’s.

[@LB-qg1lg]

TG&Y had the best toys

[@aewreddit2220]

Holy shit that Jimmy v promo was straight fire

[@imafreakinhistorian2169]

Mercy ! "Who Said That"

[@thevoiceofreason6712]

Cool cool kitty 😎😎 🐈 talking about the man from New York City

[@PaulBlankinship1976]

They say Gordon Solie is the dean of wrestling announcers. Hell even Jim Ross says this but I’m convinced it’s Lance Russell. I much prefer listening to Mr. Russell to Gordon or Bob Caudle or even JR or Shiavone. Mauro is great too.

[@stevezylla2350]

Lance Russell is right there with the best ! Very underrated

[@italion9101]

Agree Lance Russell my favorite announcer of all time.

[@Brando-Lee3725]

I grew up with Memphis CWA thanks to my grandparents ! And JCP/NWA etc.. I cant thank them enough . RIP , Grace Waters , Pauline and Virgil Houp for making me the fan I am still .

[@MrDamien1963]

I missed out on Memphis wrestling. It wasn't carried on cable back then. I only saw Memphis wrestling once a year when I visited there

[@GeoffNelson]

Poor Lance Russell wasn’t expecting them to be so hostile toward each other.

[@cheerwhiner7829]

7:40 Enjoying the “Dr. Zhivago” music while Dundee is clanging and banging with 135. 🤣

[@link122771]

135! 😂 nice!

[@jerfacekilla]

You are correct. I know because I had the same York weight set when I was a teen.

[@jeremyjames1659]

Anyone remember the funky opening music for Memphis wrestling?

[@CWhernidsy]

Hahaha. Yep…I can hum it from memory.

[@LB-qg1lg]

100 percent. I can still see and hear the whole opening almost 50 years later. Hahaha! So useless!

[@mcole442]

"He gotta lotta class, but it's ALL LOW"👈🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 You know the territory is hot when even the chauffeur is cuttin' good promos🤣

[@stevemtc1]

Two legends

[@rickstalentedtongue910]

"If you feel froggy boy, just jump on me". 9:47 Jerry Lawler 1983

[@ghostface216]

Lance Russell is SOOO great, I love his repeated exasperation.

[@jaydead863]

who knew things could get so heated while sitting at a table lol

[@rolltide9547]

With Lance you can't have a bad show.

[@bbe388]

I loved these days when itvwas so much rasslin all over. Mid American, AWA ,NWA/WCW,WWF, and Championship Wrestling aka Channel 5 Wrestling! Great times! Late 70s Early 80s!

[@Brando-Lee3725]

I just loved how they talked back then . It sounded like real people having a real argument or dispute with Lance being the straitlaced sports announcer/interviewer . So much more believable . No scripted corny banter , they just interacted like they would if it was all legit .

[@Richie3Jack]

Yep. Reportedly there was real life tension between the two. These days a booker like Tony Khan would have them steer clear of each other, but back then a booker like Jerry Jarrett was going to book them together and let their natural competitiveness take over, but also realize that they were professionals and weren't going to start shooting on each other.

[@Brando-Lee3725]

@@Richie3Jack Exactly ! How it should be today

[@randyjohnson5426]

I grew up in memphis watching channel 5 saturday morning ( 11am-12:30pm)wrestling.

[@tumbleweed1976]

Great performers from Lance, to wrestlers to refs stepping in. Excellent broadcast!

[@rustybalzac9957]

Great clip of Dr. Tom back when he was still an intern.

[@L_Train]

Lol 9:38 the fan yells and Lance Russell acknowledges what he said

[@kenhill3230]

Memphis was crazy as f@ck. Gotta love it.

[@theskypals1334]

There was nor is no wrestling as good as this

[@AldenRDavis]

On Monday June 6, 1983, Jerry Lawler beat Bill Dundee (21:56) to win the Southern championship title in a “no DQ loser leaves town” match at the Mid-South Coliseum in Memphis, TN.

[@HeavyJ713]

Must have been when he took the Book for Mid South.

[@kevinbbadd]

Spoiler alert please

[@RealDaveTalk]

Dundee went to Bill Watts Mid South after that and he also was the booker. He also the one who brought Jim Cornette, Midnight Express and the Rock n Roll Express to Mid South as well

[@imafreakinhistorian2169]

One of the best matches of all time, any promotion .

[@imafreakinhistorian2169]

@@RealDaveTalk Actually, Dundee went to book for Ole after this match . Then returned , Watts wanted him, and Bill put Steve Kerin over in a LLT match Dec 83, then headed to Mid - South

[@michaelrood2751]

Loved when Valiant called it Mempho

[@bigred12327]

The chemistry between Jerry lawler and Bill Dundee was outstanding. These two wrestlers, and Dutch Mantel was Memphis wrestling ( CWA) in my opinion

[@cottonmill1970]

Lance was awesome. Called it like a real sport... admission was $4 $5 and $6 for ringside! I miss these days

[@EmmitDenim22]

Both were certainly tough and obviously shared the same barber 💈 😂 Totally Exciting 😊Wrestling in the 80’s ruled 💥

[@Blacattacsquadron]

Tom Pritchard lied when he said he always sounded like Piper.... This vid is proof.

[@L_Train]

They sure say "stinkin!" a lot

[@DiamondJim-rx1qm]

Glad I grew up on Jim Crockett Wrestling

[@kevinjohnson-lf3kj]

Loser Leaves Memphis forever..Best Day of thier Life !!!!!

[@daveschannel747]

The Lincoln Continental was certainly a very sweet ass ride! There were a lot of those on the road in the 80s..

[@puekawNEpuyrruh]

Love this..

[@MichaelSmith-fq6hz]

0:27 6 bucks for front row. We aren't ever seeing those prices again.

[@teapulp]

$6 in '83 is roughly worth $16 now, which is still ridiculously cheap...

[@HUexe]

You won't get that for primetime shows, but a lot of local Indy shows will give you front row for 5 bucks. But you're definitely right when talking about big shows like Memphis

[@allenfitch2996]

Mid South/Memphis brilliant

[@egomaniac247]

Curious how they got around the stipulation considering they'd fight each other thousands of times in Memphis for the next 10 years after this :)

[@TheVoiceGreen]

Easy! They left “town” literally! All they had to do was find a studio in the town over! Lol

[@sandmantn77]

Memphis loser leave town matches generally had a stipulation of either six months or a year.

[@MrDavisjones]

Whaaaaat???? Impossible....let's check the rule book.

[@kevindouglas5333]

Loser leave town usually meant 90 days to 6 months.

[@mjacobs1956]

I can't remember dates, but this may be when Dundee went to book for Watts.

[@JeremyPeeples]

Jerry in a school's out special - of course!

[@braddarmphitt7067]

bill dundee was a bad ass just a shame he was so tiny

[@imafreakinhistorian2169]

Same Size as KoKo Ware or Kevin Sullivan

[@Commenter007]

Memphis wrestling was the very best!

[@michaelstepp1847]

That is Old school wrestling

[@Lucybgirl]

Bill Dundee looked so goofy in his outfits!

[@ronaldcovingtonjr7363]

Think about how many big stars come through this territory.

[@1sportsfan]

"T for Texas, T for Tennessee, and T for Tom Prichard." Wrestling taught me alphabet.

[@GETole]

Today's wrestling is dog 🐕 shit compared to this old school stuff.

[@randallbevansr5200]

Lance"banana nose"Russell," now come on,get that stuff out of here,it's got no business in there

[@leoborganelli]

I was hoping they would leave the commercials in so we could see POW5 which made me laugh my butt off at the people saying pow pow pow about 100 times. Damnbthose were the days 😂

[@binko969]

That horrible music during Dundee’s workout vignette, horrible absolutely horrible. Lol!

[@MickeyTheTimelord]

i am curious. so there full episodes of 80s Memphis wrestling that i can watch? this stuff is really cool. i wasnt alive when this happened. and it is sucking me in and loving it

[@scottjackson1420]

LOL, after this "loser leaves town" video, it's hilarious to see another video here called "Jerry Lawler Bill Dundee Studio Brawl 1985." Evidently, that 'must leave town' stuff must not exactly have been permanent!

[@85futureshock]

This segment was the inspiration for the Finn Balor/Kyle O'Reilly/Shawn Michaels faceoff on NXT a few months ago.

[@anthonycampos8057]

Fun fact: Bill Dundees daughter married Bobby Eaton.

[@BillyBob-ld5nv]

Brother!

[@MABMGuitar]

Dundee is so weirdly proportioned.

[@gardnersusedbooks2560]

I know a lot of fans and wrestlers considered Memphis to be too silly and cartoonish, a territory of cheap gimmicks. They miss the point, I believe. Lance Russell is the best ever.

[@BarekHalfhand]

Chicago wrestling was the same during that time... Thanks to KZbin I'm getting to enjoy the Memphis era in 2022

[@robertholmesiii4165]

Nobody in the south felt that way this was the pinnacle of wrestling for us

[@LB-qg1lg]

I feel like Memphis originated so many concepts. The list of guys that came through there was legendary.

[@LB-qg1lg]

Agreed. This was our WWF.

[@duffman18]

Yeah pro wrestling should always have at least a little bit of silliness. It's boring to take it deadly seriously all of the time. We wouldn't have guys like the Undertaker without silliness, because the concept of a literal zombie man with magical lightning powers who briefly came back to life again for a while and became a biker before eventually dying and becoming an undead zombie again, is extremely silly. It's jut that taker was so great at it that it worked. I don't think anyone else could have done that. The character of Kane is another good one, it's inherently silly. But it works. Memphis was just full of a ton of creativity and a braveness to be silly for the sake of entertainment, instead of being cowardly and not wanting to risk ridicule if a silly idea turns out to not work. Not every idea worked, but there were more than enough ideas that did work and worked great. Wrestling has kind of lost that a bit these days which is a shame. Everyone has realistic names and sometimes they can be spooky but not to the extent that they're dead or supernatural in some way or anything like that. Like for example Judgement Day in WWE or House of Black in AEW. They're basically just goths who like dark themes and stories but they're still just real people. Which is a bit lame. The entire concept of pro wrestling is inherently silly, let's be honest. It's a whole bunch of people just pretending to fight. But it's great. And it's great because the characters can be truly larger than life, and if they embrace some of the silliness then it's just a great time, it's more fun that way. I hope wrestling goes back to being more silly. You can still have seriousness, but mix in the odd sprinkle of silliness now and then and the whole show will be more entertaining.

[@nashburnette7247]

I have a question about this match. I remember when Lawler lost this match and he was gone for several months. If I remember correctly, I believe he wrestled in Hawaii. But nobody expected Lawler to lose a "Loser Leave Town" match in Memphis. So my question is, does anyone know the real reason Lawler was booked to lose & leave Memphis ??

[@LB-qg1lg]

If I recall, Lawler won the match. Superstar left town

[@nashburnette7247]

@@LB-qg1lg ....... Wrong ...... Dundee won the match and Lawler left for a few months. Eddie Marlin brought him back to help Dutch Mantel battle Dundee and Buddy Landel.

[@robfinlay8058]

@@nashburnette7247 that was the 1985 loser leaves town match. Dundee lost this one and went to Bill Watts' Mid-South Wrestling to book and occasionally wrestle.

[@jayharvey7043]

I believe you're remembering correctly, and that it was sort of a working vacation.

[@imafreakinhistorian2169]

Lawler won this match, and lost the one in 85 , Because, he was getting stale, I can't miss you , if you dont leave . Plus the spike in attendance for several month after returning . It was the last sell out ever in Memphis when he returned .

[@brianhatcher2799]

The thumbnail looks like Disco Inferno!!😂

[@therustypilot3452]

How did they draw with the undersized wrestler like dutch and Bill D? Mid-South's wrestlers were all just so much larger men but Memphis sold tickets and got big crowds weekly.

[@nickmad887]

thanks

[@Brando-Lee3725]

This is a MUST WATCH from start to finish . If you don't enjoy this , it makes me wonder if you can call yourself a true wrestling fan .Then seek out the match . Its here last I checked . And hey , I love all types of wrestling . When done right . Deathmatches , spotfests , technical , old school , Kings Road , Strong Style , Lucha , you name it . But to me , THIS is what all wrestling should be based on and like . Add your modern twists afterwards . Just keep it believable as much as possible .

[@timmypaxton5376]

Theflinstonememphiswrestlingandmemphistnbedrockwrestlingfans

[@PlatinumRoseLady]

I'm really sorry I couldn't see this when I was a young lady - it just felt so much more...real? Like you really felt these guys hated each other. Memphis wrestling had its own special vibe. Also, whatever Lance Russell was paid to put up with these crazy people....it wasn't enough.

[@richardbeach2430]

Jerry Lawler was a legitimate bad ass back then in the Memphis area.. He was a well known enforcer for a local 1% MC and when they called for his services he knew exactly how to get their message across

[@jdwhite4864]

This is one of the funniest things I've seen in a while

[@LB-qg1lg]

Jerry was a DJ

[@robfinlay8058]

Lawler was not a legitimate bad ass, Dundee was.

[@imafreakinhistorian2169]

Bull SHIET ! Lawler would not associate with an outlaw motorcycle club . And he dame sure wasn't going to break law to enforce anything .

[@whitebathroomguy]

Get in there boy 😂 @9:40 😂

[@TheJoaniejoancansew]

Bill dundee is working out to love songs lol

[@kevinbbadd]

He was making love to them weights

[@kevinburnett4786]

Omg. Wrestling is real brother

[@puekawNEpuyrruh]

They messed up... When he said they were gonna show video clip of Austin Idol...we got the Boogie Woogie Man

[@nashburnette7247]

Watch it again ..... Eddie did NOT say the clip was going to be of Austin Idol ...... He talked about Austin Idol, but then changed subjects to another man and said here's a clip of him, referring to Handsome Jimmy.

[@georgestokes5116]

great actors you think.

[@michaelrubin9547]

They weren't friends they were not acting

[@donjulio4025]

lawler and jarett didn't live up to the agreement when lawler was suppose to leave town. he wouldn't stay gone a year.

[@williamcordier1201]

Lawler didn't stay gone a year because Dundee was the one who lost!

[@nashburnette7247]

@@williamcordier1201 ...... What the hell are you talking about ??? ..... I'm from there and I was there and saw this match. Bill Dundee shocked a lot of people by winning over Lawler in this "Loser Leave Town" match.

[@imafreakinhistorian2169]

Lawler stayed gone, what 4 months ? LOL

[@imafreakinhistorian2169]

@@williamcordier1201 Lawler lost to Dundee in the Next LLT they had in 85

[@donjulio4025]

@@williamcordier1201 not true at all

[@ironlyon]

" He got a lot of class but its all LOW." 😂😂

[@memphismarkog]

what a build

[@DateTwoRelate]

Should have called it "Loser Leaves to Go Book / Work in the Office" match. But that wouldn't have drawn money.

[@DoomKitteh]

Umm you realize that Mid South was a different territory than Memphis (Mid Southern) Dundee went to book for Watts not Jarrett.

[@madbrowniac7871]

The Aptermags used to refer to Memphis and surrounding CWA cities as MidSouthern. Yet they referred to Bill Watts's Territory as MidSouth which is what it was known as. And Memphis Pro Wrestlers of course wrestled on Monday nights in The MidSouth Coliseum!😂🤷‍♂️🎤🎼🎸🤼‍♂️B.W.

[@LB-qg1lg]

Interesting. I was too young to know the differences. Only thing I knew was that I was watching Mid-South wrestling.

[@fatharold1788]

best promotion ever. total drama

[@lowpew94fgc18]

Kens promo was a clown juggling. Fumbling words and all lol.

[@thedoctor3528]

Aw man, i thought this was going to be a match

[@PolaBurrr]

jimmy only 41 ,,looks 65 ..lol

[@marketingheavydutytowcompa6996]

LMAO Theres maybe 80 pounds on that barbell. My 12 year old reps that all day.

[@imafreakinhistorian2169]

Dundee could bench 500 lbs , and your wife and mama .

[@binko969]

Never understood Dundee’s being so over in Memphis. Still don’t get it

[@bb-gc2tx]

different time. no internet no cable tv it was all the people knew if someone was presented as a star the people were like ok i guess hes a star lol

[@MrSawyers]

Same here He's a sawed off runt from Scotland cosplaying as elvis that you can't even understand

[@davidebrownstl]

Fun fact: Bruce Prichard taught Tom Prichard how to wrestle

[@Ecwfan]

I admit the emotional music as Dundee lifted weight was kinda funny. I don’t know why they placed it there.

[@kennethchalmers6559]

The King and The Superstar really didn’t like each other.

[@TuMalditaMadre]

Yet they were a great tag team many times over

[@wc2998]

Fortunately, making money always meant more to both than any hard feelings.

[@donjulio4025]

if this stuff was real lawler would not have made it and dundee would have beat his behind

[@imafreakinhistorian2169]

Absolutely !

[@michaelrubin9547]

It was very real

[@justinamenta7241]

Dundee comes across as much bigger than 5'2"...its crazy hes really that tiny