Pro Wrestling Chronicle

Match # 59: Jerry Lawler vs. Randy Savage (4/9/84)

This one is at the Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky. They claim it’s the home of Savage, and since I don’t know, we’ll go with it as the home court advantage for the Macho Man. Jimmy Hart is in Macho’s corner for this as well, as if we could have a match he wasn’t involved in.

Macho gets heat in the early lock ups throwing Lawler by his hair. Lawler gets him back. Macho was really good at selling one single punch, and Lawler is the king (no pun intended) of punches. Good early stuff. This is the NWA Mid American Title (Savage) vs the AWA Southern Title (Lawler). You got an ICW ref in the ring and Paul Morton from CWA on the floor. Lots of little stuff early between the refs and Savage that’s just gold. The stalling of Savage between moves is the good kind.

They move to Savage doing holds. King makes fists and Macho pulls the hair before he can get hit. Great stuff. Lawler actually works the arm right back in that great tit-for-tat wrestling way. Boy does Lawler look uncomfortable doing an arm bar though.

Lawler giving thumbs up to the crowd while cranking a head scissors gets a pop from me. Savage headbutting and posting Lawler – double pop! This is the Wildman Savage character I fell in love with as a kid. Suplex for a high spot gets Savage a two count. He really seems like he wants that pin. He even gives us the double ax handle from the top rope to the floor. Big moves for the time. Savage can’t get the pin as they come back in. Lawler takes a nice bump over the top and gets a second double ax handle.

Lawler comes back with the best straight punch ever. Double K.O. blow and they’re both down. Big pop for the count while they’re down. 16 minutes in. Savage misses from the top rope after taking punches, but he gets his foot on the rope. Two count for Lawler. Lawler slams his head into the turnbuckle. Savage comes back. This time Lawler gets his foot on the rope. This is knockdown drag out stuff. Savage looks fresh while punching.

They go to the floor and Savage loses the exchange, almost getting counted out at 20 minutes in. Savage comes back. This is a wild one. Savage goes for the pile driver, but gets head butted low.
Lawler wears him out with punches, a splash, but the refs are distracted. Savage hits a piledriver and no-sells some damage (annoys me), but then he’s distracted, so Lawler gets up and rolls him up – no selling the pile driver (more annoying). Final annoyance to an otherwise great finish is the refs take forever to make the pin because they’re old men. They walk to the roll up and count it. It’s taking all I have not to knock the execution of the finish while still seeing it as the good finish it was. 4 stars and 8/10.

Match Discussion Here