Jerry Lawler vs Ric Flair (NWA Heavyweight Title Match) Part 3 - The Match

[@VanVaderFan]

this match is almost 30 years old, and still you wont see many guys in mainstream wrestling today who can work like this

[@ToddMoore1]

You don't see ANYONE work like they did 30 years ago ( replying to a comment 7 years ago)

[@evanabbott2737]

@@ToddMoore1 it’s still true...!😁👍

[@pacifiedbeaumonte]

What about Kenny omega?

[@brandonsistare8689]

40 years now crazy

[@carlosr6462]

@@pacifiedbeaumonte ahahahahahahahahaha nice joke

[@danc1197]

This show kept me glued to the 300lb tv every saturday on TBS at 305pm

[@allenwithrow9442]

This was wmc tv 5 in memphis not tbs

[@kevinroulette]

This wasn’t world championship wrestling on TBS this Memphis . Plus it was 6:05 but both good

[@cariboooutlaw4852]

TBS wrestling was at 3:05 on the west coast!

[@mattsowder7978]

Haaa this wasn't on TBS. Why do people lie? Wandering 3 years later........

[@michaeltruthson6262]

With tears flowing I miss my father when we would watch this and wrestling shows together. But life isn't forever but memories and Ric Flair are whoooooooooooo!!!!!!!😥😂😥😂😥

[@raymondphillips7107]

I use to watch wrestling with my father too....

[@evanabbott2737]

WHOOOOO! R.I.P.🙏👍❤️

[@michaeltruthson6262]

@@evanabbott2737 🥳🥳🥳🥳Whooooooo

[@marcuscompton3772]

I truly understand and feel every word you said.

[@redauerbach2753]

Whooo

[@jessieespiritudelrosario5737]

A ten minutes match is much better than today's full shows of raw

[@WillieBowen-o2n]

Agreed

[@FabianAndra-pd6ks]

Yes i agree too

[@thomass789]

I think the main take away from this, that today's product could benefit from, is that there was no wasted movement in this match, and that the entire show that day told a story. It told a very simple story, but one that connected with every single person watching that day. Local humble hero Lawler taking on arrogant but great world famous star from the fancy big time promotion, with the local hero slyly duping the arrogant star into biting off more than he could chew. The locals there in Memphis (and other small southern towns watching) felt like Lawler was fighting FOR THEM, REPRESENTING THEM, showing that they were just as good as big time people. Such a simple story, but a very effective story. And guess what? Unlike many of today's segments and stories in pro wrestling, this story MADE BOTH MEN LOOK BETTER AFTER THE FACT! Imagine that! They both worked their asses off on the mic and in the ring to make each other look BETTER! No one was made to look silly, no one was made to look worse after it was over. I was not old enough to be there at that time, but if I would have been, I would have been dying to see a rematch, dying to see more Lawler, more Flair. Which is what a good story on a weekly show accomplishes. Leaves you loving what you saw and wanting more! This was just great, to me!

[@billybadass3056]

great point but I still wish this was in heel mode Lawler fighting flare.....

[@ograidernation1]

Very well said

[@gilmatic1974]

Very well said, Respect 💯👊🏻💯💪🏻🙏🏻

[@tfitt6161]

That was awesome! I've been checking out old school wrestling the past 2 years. I'm in love with 1976 to 1985 wrestling . ...I don't know how people watch wrestling today. It's horrible

[@stealthbomb6057]

I'll take watching this over the spot fests we see today any day of the week.

[@donniegray553]

Stealthbomb, DAMN RIGHT. Old-school! Wrestling, couldn't have been any better. And the slop they show today can't ewven hold a match flame to this stuff

[@winstonjordan9708]

Stealthbomb agreed

[@LuckyVillain419]

Yea, nothing like a 5 minute wristlock

[@truebaimar9923]

Exactly... Every other match today they look likd circus acrobats.... And when a group of them outside the ring, someone inside must always do a dive or cannonball onto them...🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄.... Takes one right out of the match.... 90% of promos are mediocre as well...

[@hoangkimnguyen9630]

I see it more in AEW today becuz of diving after diving and flip over flip.

[@LRayWilliams]

I’ve met both Flair and Lawler I’ve had more interactions with Ric Flair and it was before he became World Champ he was a great guy off camera. Because of it I supported and root for him till this day. Long live Ric Flair and Jerry The King Lawler

[@darrenblockersr]

When wrestling was wrestling, I miss it. Today's is just entertainment no technical wrestling.

[@jerryblair61]

When wrestling was at its peck .I went to Ellis Autoduom when I was a kid. what a great time in my life .Great wrestlers back then

[@hollaluyah]

All they do is jump around and hope to become straight to DVD movie starts

[@robertsanchez7185]

Wouch

[@truebaimar9923]

@kingkiser666 Nahhhh.. They are more mechanical acrobatic wrestlers now than before..

[@robertovizcarra8205]

NWA Power on KZbin.

[@cpl1318]

Loved watching this with my Grandmother every Saturday, Best Part of the Day !!!

[@ajhnson]

"What the World Champion wants, the World Champion gets"! Epic Ric Flair!

[@aaronlusanko8779]

Yeah and get it by cheating. 90% of the time would cheat to earn something. He's no champion in my book. More like a cheating champion.

[@oliverfurr1527]

A true classic matchup. I remember Saturday morning wrestling and I miss it

[@EXPLISITemcee]

a friendly talk leads to a battle for a world title on TV.. a king vs a Mount Rushmore legend.

[@ograidernation1]

Saturday mornings were the best

[@altonbinkley9484]

Remember this one folks, very rare!!

[@dravendfr]

I just wanted to see what Jerry was like and this blew my mind for how wrestling was, I would be watching this today unlike how long I have gone without watching WWE. The technical prowess between them is a breath a fresh air. Kudos to both of these legends.

[@fl_7997]

This is why flair was so good he would run into every nwa territory and make the local Champ look like a million bucks and entertain the fans. Outstanding!

[@scenariomckinney]

This wasn't just ANY territory.

[@aaronlusanko8779]

Yeah and cheat as usual.

[@gammasmash1924]

@@aaronlusanko8779 Yeah, that's what kept em coming back. The fans wanted to see someone finally overcome Flair and his cheating.

[@nick56677]

@Aaron Lusanko Theres a reason he is called The Dirtiest Player in the Game lol.

[@madamefeast4824]

​@@aaronlusanko8779Yeah, that was kinda his thing lol.

[@bb-gc2tx]

This segment in a little studio has more emotion than anything wwe has done last 5 years atleast

[@philanimukenge4500]

There is always an idiot who will say something like this

[@bb-gc2tx]

@@philanimukenge4500 obviously there are alot of 'idiots" like me because the wwe ratings suck. Sorry people don't get excited about watching Soy boy Millienials doing pointless high spot after high spot. The Entire fan base today are loser smarks like you. Who chant dumb shit like this is awesome and you still got it. Lmao bunch of pathetic losers

[@axelchewie8657]

Yeahh sure... More than Edge returning at RR, Rollins cash in, Bryan VS Lesnar, Undertaker VS Aj styles, Cena VS Styles, Asuka VS Charlotte, Hardys returning, Becky VS Charlotte at Evolution, Ziggler perfomance at SvS 2014, Miz VS Ziggler at No Mercy 2016 or all the Nxt great moments and matches...

[@AngelPerezComedy]

@@axelchewie8657 no one gives a damn about any of that shit. A true moment was nexus invasion, cm punk pipebomb, ECW Cena vs rvd, and Daniel Bryan having the whole world scream yes. It's a pandemic and ratings got worse lol.

[@axelchewie8657]

@@AngelPerezComedy Nexus invasion??? 🤣 Now all of them are fired but Bryan

[@godsnobody2915]

Ric Flair was the master of putting a territory's top talent over. He always left the fans wanting more!

[@elberno4243]

This is wonderful, simply wonderful!

[@nonameyet9165]

The best days of wrestling. I was 8 when this happened. I may have seen it or I may have been playing little league. Truly awesome to see this. 3 or 4 years later saw them wrestle in Lexington, Great American Bash

[@perrymason7492]

This is back when wrestling was wrestling and great

[@somethingyousaid5059]

Those were the days. I remember those days and I miss them. I wish that I could relive them. I grew up in and enjoyed the 70 and the 80s. Then everything became garbage.

[@davidscott8956]

I never realized that Memphis let Flair, Bockwinkle, Hennig, & Rick Martel come thru&perform. Memphis helped alot of future stars eat. VERY GOOD.

[@y2films]

First time anyone has ever said Memphis let their guys eat 😂

[@markgreen262]

Jerry Lawler actually ran the Memphis territory

[@freedomfirst917]

Let me tell you something about Kingfish Jerry Lawler , daddy! He was one of the greatest! When that strap came down , lookout ,Jack! Absolutely love the memories of watching championship wrestling with my family.. great days . It feels good to relive the good times..

[@GaDawgs1967]

Back in the day i was the beer grabber and Tv Turner got a few hours off of turning the TV when wrestling was on but still had to get the beer 😂

[@michaelleathem]

The interviews to the lead up to this match was more than anything we get today. That is how you make everyone believe in what you do.

[@henrygee622]

When I was little they used to give us the best shows big ups to Jerry and Ric I grew up in the Midsouth Water valley Mississippi. Yal were the top dawgs back then and apart of our lives still today I remember matches. I grew up watching you Guys all with my father whom passed 2000. We had some great times on Saturday morning watching wrestling as He raised me up to be an man. Thanks for ah lifetime experience We grew up on yal back in the day when yall calms down Midsouth on Saturdays ! We Love yall !

[@cliffordbaggett2377]

This was wrestling at it's best. 2 of the greatest. I liked em both.

[@ALLCITY73]

Ric Flair is the only wrestler who can leave a match and have an interview THEN go back to the match

[@FineWineFletch]

Facts

[@zachgrace7675]

The rock did it several times and also actually did comentry with Lawler and Jim Ross during his own match

[@renelimas333]

MJF

[@dannyvizcarra]

that was way less flashy than matches now of days but man is it entertaining. I want to see what happens next

[@halillama9078]

Guzina

[@5822huron]

Real wrestling

[@thomass789]

Exactly! Leaves you wanting more!

[@jackbox1971]

What was so great about Flair as a heel is that he rarely played the cowardly heel. He was the supreme egoist. He wanted to "beat" Lawler even though he could could have walked away. Also, did you see that body slam late in the match? Jeez... he launched big Jerry!

[@howardzuckerman8197]

I guess you haven’t seen part 4 where he exactly plays the coward by leaving the match before it was over as lawyer was making his comeback

[@EXPLISITemcee]

@@howardzuckerman8197 Ric Flair used every trick.. dirtiest player wasn't just a nickname.. and in wrestling its considered smart to use every trick to win.

[@aaronlusanko8779]

Actually cheating is cowardly. Flair cheated all the time. So Flair was a cowardly heel

[@KClouisville]

@@aaronlusanko8779 He would also do the "begging off" bit a lot when the babyface would make a comeback on him. That's a classic cowardly heel move....early Flair probably did it too much. You could tell Flair was always Steve Austin's favorite wrestler in that respect...when Austin was in "cowardly heel" mode in the later parts of his WWE career he would also beg off too much.

[@conradsdad]

More wrestling in this match than in any hour of Raw.

[@kennethdemuchest5171]

Amen

[@MrGlock509]

Raw ain’t got nothing on this

[@axelchewie8657]

Watch Aleister Balck VS Murphy matches

[@greyhulk3379]

I AGREE!!!

[@messyfilms6325]

By two workers who couldn’t wrestle.

[@jeremyjames1659]

My grandmother use to take my uncle to see Lawler wrestle in southern Indiana, he had many stories of playing poker backstage with the wrestlers after the show was over. He said they were all good guys at the Memphis wrestle, and USWA.

[@ghettoblacktheater]

This match is beautiful. When wrestling is done right it looks like great ballet. This is one of those matches.

[@RobertePhillips]

I believe that my father was one of the biggest wrestling fans there ever was he loved to watch channel 5 ever Saturday morning and I miss him with all of my heart.

[@316003161]

I watched this on FREE "TV" , back in my young days when TV came thru rabbit ears and tin foil.!!!

[@donniegray553]

316003161, same here, but mine was an antanea up on the hill. God, I miss those days. Only 3 channels, but we had more to watch then than we do now with hundreds of channels.

[@trickyodell2646]

Donnie Gray Good ole days

[@dr.roberts4508]

Classic

[@marksreviewsandrants8554]

HA HA HA I remember those days,there is a lot of music lights ETC now.

[@twright3802]

Dont forget the pair of pliers to change the channels, every now and then.

[@TripleRp]

Back when Ric Flair didn't walk, he sauntered.

[@chancegoode173]

TripleRp more like he strutted

[@jasonmarsh2466]

Almost floated

[@s1amvwbug]

Reminds me of a old match 1982 NWA Rick Flair vs Jerry, the King Lawler

[@BennyThePlayaScala]

I grew up in WWWF territory...but man, this is SO good...Jerry Lawler ever so gently pushing aside the enhancement talent, using perfect psychology to get Flair into the ring...there isn't anything remotely close to this pure art today...

[@AdrianBrown]

"Now we go to school!" #ClassicFlair

[@nonameisthename138]

This was GOOD STUFF!!! SIMPLE and EASY!! I remember this back in the day, the good ol days!!! 😢😢😢

[@griggstheone9078]

Two of the greatest workers ever.

[@jakewilcken6602]

He left the ring to talk shit to lawler...amazing 😂

[@stanbrekston]

Man, this was some good stuff

[@henrygee622]

Jerry Lawler was our champion for all of Memphis Tennessee. I support this message. Mid South until I die.

[@ModernDayRenaissanceMan]

That's crazy only a 10 minute time limit for the world championship. Especially against Jerry The King Lawler. Edit: I'm glad the announcers said that three minutes into the match that they'd never heard of it either because I thought I was crazy.

[@kenwigginsii6065]

A traveling world heavyweight wrestling champion...Priceless.

[@patrickdurham7984]

I know it might seem minor, but I am a true old school wrestling fan and I gotta say Ric Flair's suplex was one of the best in the business. Textbook everytime.

[@apintofbeer1667]

Lawlers hair deserved a championship belt

[@nickwarhead]

and 37 years later, both these guys are still on TV..

[@aloysiusnewby1144]

THE HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION RIC FLAIR

[@jpshines]

They never heard of a 10 min championship match? That is every WWE Monday night raw no adays.

[@winstonjordan9708]

jpshines back then title matches were an hour on time limit

[@Jim222001]

Or Lesnar and Goldberg title matches.

[@severanvallery9554]

But it's still great entertainment

[@wlliebowen2043]

WWE is horseshit.

[@FabianAndra-pd6ks]

I am 26 and I like this way more than modern day wrestling

[@travisburnett5685]

This is so badass!!! Then. Now. Forever...

[@joeyricefried9621]

I love the camera angles. I wish it was still this way.

[@ChanceUriahMiller]

Never knew this match had taken place. I truly missed out.

[@mondocjenson-dy8zd]

Classic! Great memories

[@mr.mirchenstein6549]

Great stuff from 2 Legends, but the time keeper needs to learn how to tell time. That was less than 10 Mins...

[@bigredcachemachine1110]

lay off dave brown. it was hard damn work keeping up with the weather and the time.

[@warrencurtis4968]

Jerry Calhoun called for the bell at 0:34 so technically the match did last 10 minutes

[@NevrSilent]

Flair was raised and trained in Minneapolis area (where his birthplace is from isn't 100 per cent known, as he was adopted). His start was in Minn. based AWA before he settled in Charlotte and the Crockett's Mid-Atlantic territory.

[@cbp2106]

Flair was born in West Virginia. Not Memphis

[@DegenerateSharingan]

cbp2106 even flair said he was born in TN

[@Fish-please]

True professionals,.... giving it a 100% for a room of maybe only 100 mostly kids. and then doing an encore.

[@dilungmoveityafool777]

Good stuff. Good stuff.

[@admiralawesomeDC]

I really miss the days of the territories

[@MrDeeboi33]

This is where wrestlers honed their skills

[@theweenee1]

At 8:06 Flair is about to use the pile driver which was not allowed in the Memphis Wrestling promotion at that time but later the Sleeper Hold and Pile Driver became 2 of Lawlers finishing moves while he was champion out there in Memphis he held that title for many years if you look it up,I think that move was brought in and allowed that following year.

[@jasoncassius7832]

Had to believe these guys were in their early 30s back then and this happened over 40 years ago.

[@mindlessdroid3630]

Miss the days of Professional Wrestling when deep down we all "knew" but we still believed.

[@markmenning1804]

Jerrry the King was not utilized enough in WWF.

[@ranielalmaria6612]

Lawler was already getting up there in age. You really expect WWE is gonna build the federation around him? Ridiculous.

[@themanwithnoname4723]

I agree.... there actually could have been more than a few big matches between legends vs The King.

[@mox19380]

he joined at 43. feuded with bret hart for two years. it seems like they utilized him to help push Hart which was probably the most he really could be expected to do in his mid-40s

[@coachrobinson9958]

CLASSIC! :))

[@paulbunyan1412]

I love these 2 wrestlers

[@bigdye1976]

Loved the old Memphis Wrestling. Watched it every Saturday morning.

[@scottjackson1420]

Two great workers.

[@robertsalmi6472]

Listening to the crowd is what makes this all about!

[@ModernDayRenaissanceMan]

I wonder why no one bothers to ask the wrestlers today how they explain in kayfabe that a pile driver was so deadly it was banned & now it can be done off the top turnbuckle today multiple times & people kick out so easily? How can the DDT be so powerful in 1987 yet 5 tornado DDTs are so weak? How come Kenny Omega is able to kick out of being stabbed by a screwdriver, then hit with 2 finishers back to back to back in a match, then a 1 count after being hit with his own finisher then kick out of 4 more finishers before finally losing the match but Hook stays down for 2 minutes from a simple lariat from Jungle Boy? The disrespect that these marks in the ring have today have dropped the business to an all time low. It was much better when it was very hard to get in & you either followed the rules or you were blacklisted for life. They don't understand that they are legitimately hurting themselves for a million dollars a year when they could be working a match for 10 million a year. I truly believe if they never destroyed kayfabe wrestlers would be making WAY more money today. But HBK & The Kliq decided to ruin it to "be cool" & they got paid so everyone else wouldn't. This made everyone else have to dive off of the top of Mount Everest to get a pop. That's sad.

[@Mandrahale]

HHH & Tony Khan, take note. No flipping or twisty jumps whatsoever. A simple display of a combat sport. Two men battling it out with one another. Classic.

[@timcase2494]

So great to be able to see Flair in his prime. When the wrestling actually was much more real.

[@cards1985]

The good ole days.

[@mgcuniverse9037]

according to Cornette and Jericho and MANY MANY MANY others, these are the two greatest wrestlers of all time

[@maosama3695]

When champions had class.

[@Brandonmccullen77]

Two of the greatest talkers in the business! I love it 😂

[@Murphdogg4]

Dream match!

[@halriggs9328]

That would have been huge

[@haroldpruitt8207]

Two of the Best Ever !!! Wooooo !! God Bless Um !

[@TheMan750]

Of course Lawler wasn’t losing on Memphis TV

[@SirManfly]

wow, Ric and Jerry told a pretty good story here! too bad the next 5 minutes weren't on here.

[@donniegray553]

moo cow, catch "Part 4". I think thart's the one you're refering to

[@mr.mirchenstein6549]

moo cow here ya go...Part 4... kzbin.info/www/bejne/hqvOda2Fm9Z3nMU

[@axlrose7668]

A friend of mine Goopy Hinderswim said he sold enough hotdogs at this show to buy a brand new refrigerator.

[@BennyThePlayaScala]

You have a friend named Goopy? :)

[@yescheeseplease9961]

How is ol' Goopy these days?

[@MemphisWrestlingVideoVault]

@Freebleeper - August 14, 1982

[@Famezonen]

Back when wrestling was about wrestling and not slamming

[@larrylipshitz1553]

Two legends

[@michaeltruthson6262]

Listen to the pop from the fans man I love this!!!

[@HogansDisciple]

channel extreme u rock bro!!

[@Bikeman470]

Flair used to hail from MN in his earily days. it wasn't until the mid 80's that he statred hailing from Charlot NC

[@wlliebowen2043]

Charlotte, NC.

[@johnstrika9170]

My god, please get some grammar lessons

[@erictaylor9481]

Keith Thomas.........But he was born in Memphis.

[@acesoul1689]

Forever Legendary

[@richardwillams7086]

Wow 😮 the Old NWA

[@MemphisWrestlingVideoVault]

@ChillMascaras - Because he first came to the WCW as a member of the Minnesota Wrecking Crew--Ole and Arn Anderson's cousin.

[@granvillefriel1877]

Memphis Wrestling Video Vault you got 12 dicks now

[@jerryblair2339]

Lawyer & Flair great technical wrestlers some thing you don't see in wrestling today

[@roberdink]

Flair went back in 1985 but never returned afterwards

[@Shippoyasha]

This is way more captivating than most of today's WWE wrestling

[@str009]

Ric Flair was a much thicker heavyweight before a plane crash injured him and forced a physical therapy regiment that required slimming down and assuming a more stealth-and-resourcefulness than big bruiser approach. He had a mid-sized physique in a thick man's skin ever after that.

[@julesmcgrules3860]

You can clearly see Flair was quite the physical specimen back then. This is as agile and powerful as I've ever seen him.

[@mofo3172]

Shortest 10 minute time limit I've ever seen!

[@lumphead2564]

That used to be standard matches one fall with a 10 minute time limit

[@lumphead2564]

It was all about wrestling not a 3-hour show with 2 hours of promos in these cats now can't even cut a good scripted promo

[@budsintoronto]

Great match!

[@JimCornetteIsMyDad]

It's a shame that something happened between Memphis and Flair that this match didn't get a bigger audience again down the road.

[@kevinbirge2130]

Best of the best.