Pro Wrestling Chronicle

Match # 115: Jerry Lawler vs. Dutch Mantell (5/29/88)

This was a clever little match. Not great, but decent, and definitely worth inclusion on this set. These two are master workers for their style, and they know how to play to a Memphis crowd.

First ten minutes are pretty similar to a Dick Murdoch vs The Nightmare match from the Mid South set. Lawler wants to punch Mantell for slaps/punches off a rope break, but the ref keeps stopping him. He keeps building up for it and taking shots. Finally he hits one of those classic punches and it’s sold accordingly. Pretty fitting considering Murdoch and Lawler have two of the best punches in wrestling history.

The reason I enjoyed this more then I probably would have is Mantell makes the ref check Lawler for chains/fire twice before the match, only to pull out a chain at the end. That’s not the great part though. The great part is Lawler pulling his own chain out of Mantell, and this time the ref stops Mantell from throwing the shot and misses the Lawler rule breaking. That’s the finish as Lawler pins him after the chain shot. The only minuses are Lawler’s come back coming way to soon and out of nowhere, and the first ten minutes lent itself to a 30 minute match, but they went slow build to finish at 15 minutes. Oh well, you can’t get everything. 3 ¼ and 6.5/10.