June
Main Eventer
High Fives All Around!!!
Joined on: May 31, 2009 10:54:49 GMT -5
Posts: 4,457
|
Post by June on Nov 7, 2009 17:33:55 GMT -5
It boggles my mind how WWE Hall of Famer Jerry Lawler was never given the chance to wrestle on the grandest stage of em all?
I recall him being the WWE's top heel for a bit and I find it odd on why he never got to wrestle at a mania. He has had a marvelous career without having appeared in the ring at Mania, but I think he as well as wrestling fans deserved to see it.
Anyone know why it never happened for him?
|
|
|
Post by layton on Nov 7, 2009 17:39:30 GMT -5
I think it just kind of slipped Vince's mind for years. I heard Jerry say at one point that he told Vince he'd never wrestled at Mania, and Vince thought back and didn't know that Lawler had never been on the show.
Also, saying that he was WWE's top heel for a while is a bit much. He was never that.
|
|
|
Post by j2dacversion3 on Nov 7, 2009 17:43:15 GMT -5
Because he isn't a draw.
|
|
June
Main Eventer
High Fives All Around!!!
Joined on: May 31, 2009 10:54:49 GMT -5
Posts: 4,457
|
Post by June on Nov 7, 2009 18:00:09 GMT -5
I think it just kind of slipped Vince's mind for years. I heard Jerry say at one point that he told Vince he'd never wrestled at Mania, and Vince thought back and didn't know that Lawler had never been on the show. Also, saying that he was WWE's top heel for a while is a bit much. He was never that. It was a bit of a stretch, but in my eyes he was. I know in actuality Yoko was the man.
|
|
|
Post by Jimmy on Nov 7, 2009 18:48:28 GMT -5
Hindsight being 20/20, they should have just blown off Hart/Lawler once and for all at WrestleMania 11 seeing as how the Backlund program was dead once Diesel crushed him and the match was a total snoozer.
|
|
|
Post by Byron F'N Saxton Fan on Nov 7, 2009 18:50:21 GMT -5
The crowd loves him, but the main reason he didn't wrestle was probably because Vince didn't think of it, and then later on they didn't want to have to deal with what to do if he was the Color Commentator and Wrestled at a WM. If he got injured and couldn't commentate, I doubt Vince wanted Todd Pentingill or Kevin Kelly's voice on a historic WrestleMania moment.
|
|
|
Post by Boy Wonder on Nov 7, 2009 20:32:53 GMT -5
Its not too late, he can still get around pretty good in the ring. I'd love to see him get his well deserved moment at Mania
|
|
|
Post by HugoOne on Nov 8, 2009 0:02:04 GMT -5
Hindsight being 20/20, they should have just blown off Hart/Lawler once and for all at WrestleMania 11 seeing as how the Backlund program was dead once Diesel crushed him and the match was a total snoozer. I would have rather they culminated the Owen Hart-Bret Hart feud off at Wrestlemania 11 in an "I Quit" match. That would have been epic, and have Bret get his win back and end the feud with a face winning, just like a magical Wrestlemania moment.
|
|
June
Main Eventer
High Fives All Around!!!
Joined on: May 31, 2009 10:54:49 GMT -5
Posts: 4,457
|
Post by June on Nov 8, 2009 0:07:49 GMT -5
Hindsight being 20/20, they should have just blown off Hart/Lawler once and for all at WrestleMania 11 seeing as how the Backlund program was dead once Diesel crushed him and the match was a total snoozer. I would have rather they culminated the Owen Hart-Bret Hart feud off at Wrestlemania 11 in an "I Quit" match. That would have been epic, and have Bret get his win back and end the feud with a face winning, just like a magical Wrestlemania moment. After the snoozer they produced in the "jungle gym" match at SummerSlam, I doubt a "I Quit" match between the two would have been anything special to non-IWC fans.
|
|
|
Post by Jimmy on Nov 8, 2009 0:12:19 GMT -5
I would have rather they culminated the Owen Hart-Bret Hart feud off at Wrestlemania 11 in an "I Quit" match. That would have been epic, and have Bret get his win back and end the feud with a face winning, just like a magical Wrestlemania moment. After the snoozer they produced in the "jungle gym" match at Wrestlemania, I doubt a "I Quit" match between the two would have been anything special to non-IWC fans. oh jesus christ...
|
|
|
Post by Emerald Enthusiast on Nov 8, 2009 0:17:11 GMT -5
It depends on the region of the country. I'm guessing people outside of South didn't even know Lawler's name until he became part of the WWF. In the South, he was one of the biggest draws in wrestling history. In Tennessee, he is a bigger drawn than anyone has ever been. Like Lawler, I don't understand how Vince didn't capitalize on the Hart-Lawler feud at a 'Mania. Lawler was important enough to main event SummerSlam '94 (even though the match was horrible) but not even be a curtain jerker at Wrestlemania? This would have to go under the category of a major Vinny Mac flub.
|
|
sevb30
Main Eventer
Joined on: Apr 14, 2008 12:55:21 GMT -5
Posts: 1,378
|
Post by sevb30 on Nov 8, 2009 3:28:21 GMT -5
You meant Summerslam 93 when Bret left the sharpshooter on Lawler forever.
|
|
|
Post by Emerald Enthusiast on Nov 8, 2009 5:59:49 GMT -5
You meant Summerslam 93 when Bret left the sharpshooter on Lawler forever. Actually, I was thinking of KOTR '94 where Lawler lost to Roddy Piper in the main event. That was the match I was thinking of where a/ Lawler main evented and was b/ terrible. Seriously, I don't know how Vince overlooked JL for Mania. Between '93 and '96, he feuded with Piper, Hart, and Warrior. Those were pretty high profile to say the least.
|
|
|
Post by Patrick Bateman on Nov 8, 2009 13:27:27 GMT -5
Lawler/Warrior would've stunk up any 'Mania card.
|
|
|
Post by LeighD on Nov 8, 2009 14:00:56 GMT -5
While I am surprised Lawler has never wrestled at a WrestleMania, it blows my mind as to how he has never held ANY title in the WWF/E!! Not even a 15 second Hardcore Title reign!
|
|
|
Post by HugoOne on Nov 8, 2009 16:42:42 GMT -5
I would have rather they culminated the Owen Hart-Bret Hart feud off at Wrestlemania 11 in an "I Quit" match. That would have been epic, and have Bret get his win back and end the feud with a face winning, just like a magical Wrestlemania moment. After the snoozer they produced in the "jungle gym" match at SummerSlam, I doubt a "I Quit" match between the two would have been anything special to non-IWC fans. You're the first person I've seen talk negatively about that match. Astonishes me. I guess to each their own but that was a fantastic, unquestionable five star match. May not have been your taste but that is an incredible match and one of, if not THE greatest cage match of all time. Not an exaggeration either. Not to mention their Wrestlemania X match was also one of the greatest opening matches for a PPV of all time. Again, not an exaggeration.
|
|
June
Main Eventer
High Fives All Around!!!
Joined on: May 31, 2009 10:54:49 GMT -5
Posts: 4,457
|
Post by June on Nov 8, 2009 16:46:38 GMT -5
After the snoozer they produced in the "jungle gym" match at SummerSlam, I doubt a "I Quit" match between the two would have been anything special to non-IWC fans. You're the first person I've seen talk negatively about that match. Astonishes me. I guess to each their own but that was a fantastic, unquestionable five star match. May not have been your taste but that is an incredible match and one of, if not THE greatest cage match of all time. Not an exaggeration either. Not to mention their Wrestlemania X match was also one of the greatest opening matches for a PPV of all time. Again, not an exaggeration. A cage match should be brutal and bloody, and a jungle gym is best utilized in a backyard not in a packed arena during the 2nd biggest wrestling PPV of the year. But thats just my opinion.
|
|
|
Post by HugoOne on Nov 8, 2009 18:51:00 GMT -5
You're the first person I've seen talk negatively about that match. Astonishes me. I guess to each their own but that was a fantastic, unquestionable five star match. May not have been your taste but that is an incredible match and one of, if not THE greatest cage match of all time. Not an exaggeration either. Not to mention their Wrestlemania X match was also one of the greatest opening matches for a PPV of all time. Again, not an exaggeration. A cage match should be brutal and bloody, and a jungle gym is best utilized in a backyard not in a packed arena during the 2nd biggest wrestling PPV of the year. But thats just my opinion. Where does it say every cage match has to be bloody and brutal? There's no reason a cage match can't be a technical bout. At all. There's no cage match formula. The key component is utilizing the cage, which they did. Your jungle gym analogy = fail.
|
|
Deleted
Joined on: Nov 16, 2024 17:44:46 GMT -5
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Nov 8, 2009 20:50:31 GMT -5
I would have rather they culminated the Owen Hart-Bret Hart feud off at Wrestlemania 11 in an "I Quit" match. That would have been epic, and have Bret get his win back and end the feud with a face winning, just like a magical Wrestlemania moment. After the snoozer they produced in the "jungle gym" match at SummerSlam, I doubt a "I Quit" match between the two would have been anything special to non-IWC fans. I love when people try and get "cheap heel heat" on this site.
|
|
June
Main Eventer
High Fives All Around!!!
Joined on: May 31, 2009 10:54:49 GMT -5
Posts: 4,457
|
Post by June on Nov 8, 2009 21:26:49 GMT -5
A cage match should be brutal and bloody, and a jungle gym is best utilized in a backyard not in a packed arena during the 2nd biggest wrestling PPV of the year. But thats just my opinion. Where does it say every cage match has to be bloody and brutal? There's no reason a cage match can't be a technical bout. At all. There's no cage match formula. The key component is utilizing the cage, which they did. Your jungle gym analogy = fail. Ric Flair basically created the cage match formula and he utilized the cage the way it should have been utilized, as a weapon. Flair's opponents wanted Flair in a cage to keep the Horsemen out, not so they could perform technical wrestling clinics.
|
|