Pro Wrestling Chronicle

Match # 113: Eddie Marlin vs. Tommy Gilbert (Cowboy Boot Match) (4/4/88)

Broadway Danny Wolf is one of the new announcers they’re showing on Memphis TV the last few matches. I mention him as he’s doing an interview with a rapidly aging Eddie Marlin. The guy is such an uninspired geek it pains me to watch him. It kills me Lance Russell allowed this man to live. Moving on.

Apparently Gilbert and Marlin were once friends and partners. Marlin is now a main official in Memphis and Gilbert helps son Eddie Gilbert cheat to win. This has cause a run-in between the former friends, so now we have a match with two old guys where they can take off their boots and hit each other with them.

Another oddity to add is this is the FNN Score match of the week. FNN was a financial channel which had the took a Memphis wrestling show on as weekend programming because the financial markets were closed on at the time and they had nothing to show. I’m wondering why they thought this would appeal to stock gurus and bankers.

Gilbert jumps Marlin and beats him for the first few minutes. Really weak crowd again for a Mid South Col. Show. Eddie is 57, by the way. He comes back and takes FOREVER (copyright Terry Funk) to get off Gilbert’s boot. He hits him twice, and once in the stomach, and then throws the boot away. I guess they don’t wanna kill the gimmick by over use. Gilbert bleeds pretty badly, so that makes up for some otherwise active old man wrestling. Gilbert moves pretty well for an older guy.

These two old guys manager to have a pretty good match that goes back and forth at times and is well laid out. 7 minutes and thirty seconds in Eddie Marlin gets the second boot off Gilbert and they call the match. That’s all you had to do was take his shoes off?! I thought they were weapons. Oh well. Marlin can’t enjoy the victory as Gilbert destroys him after them. 2 ¼ and 4/10.

Match Discussion Here