By Scott Bowden
June 19, 2003
Putting my best heel forward
Scott Bowden’s two favorite heels square off Memphis-style
10. Paul Orndorff
9. Nick Bockwinkel
8. The Sheik
7. “Handsome” Jimmy Valiant
6. Joe LeDuc
5. Terry Funk
4. Randy Savage
3. Eddie Gilbert
It’s only fitting that the discussion of my two favorite heels comes down to two men who headlined against each other for years in the Memphis area. Yes, rasslin’ fans, it all comes down to a grudge-match examination of the baddest of the bad.
In one corner, weighing in at 242 lbs., from Las Vegas, Nevada, “The Universal Heartthrob” Austin Idol—the Women’s Pet, the Men’s Regret. In the other, coming in at 232 pounds, from Memphis, Tennessee, Jerry “the King” Lawler. (Sigh. Where’s Lance Russell when you need him? Playing golf would be my guess.)
TWO MEN, TWO PATHS
After working at the Miami Convention Center on Tuesday, Feb. 19, 1975, wrestler Buddy Colt was piloting his single-engine plane to Tampa International Airport. Accompanying Colt to Tampa for the next evening’s card of Championship Wrestling from Florida were wrestlers “Iron” Mike McCord, who sat to the pilot’s right in the front, while Gary Hart and “King” Bobby Shane were in the back.
Colt’s Cessna 173, sometimes jokingly referred to as “the bad guys’ plane,” encountered thick fog and increasingly overcast skies along the way and was redirected to Peter O. Knight Airport, located on Davis Island near Hillsboro Bay.
However, the fog and clouds proved too daunting a tag-team, making it nearly impossible for Colt to see as he attempted to land the plane. At around 1:30 a.m on Feb. 20, Colt overshot the airport runway. McCord reportedly screamed, “My God, we’re going to hit the water!” The bad guys were in trouble.
The Cessna crashed into the dark waters of Hillsboro Bay at about 100 mph. Colt and Hart were thrown from the plane. McCord, 27 at the time, was trapped momentarily when his seatbelt jammed; he escaped by shedding his pants and sliding out of the restraint. Shane, 29, considered by many to be a rising star on the level of legendary heel Buddy Rogers, was killed, reportedly on impact.
All told, Colt’s extensive injuries relegated him to managing and announcing after the plane crash. Hart, who broke his back and clavicle and suffered several gashes to his face, was mainly a manager from that point forward. Comparatively, McCord fared better than the others did, “only” breaking some ribs and both ankles and suffering deep cuts to his feet. A piece of McCord might have died on that plane as well, as he never again worked in Eddie Graham’s territory again. As a matter of fact, it wasn’t long before “Iron” Mike McCord was gone forever. In his place, stood Austin Idol.
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About three years before Shane died, he worked Georgia, teaming a few times with young heel Jerry Lawler from Memphis. Shane was so impressed with his partner’s potential that he gave Lawler his blessing to use the King of Wrestling gimmick in Tennessee. In an impromptu coronation, Shane gave Lawler a crown to get him started. It’s probably no coincidence that Lawler soon added a Tarzan-like strap to his ring attire shortly after working with Shane, who wore something similar. The King was dead in 1975. Long live the King.
With Sam Bass as his manager, Lawler made Memphis his rasslin’ kingdom. Like Shane, Lawler was a natural heel with a tremendous sardonic wit and an excellent on-air presence. Promoter Jerry Jarrett pushed Lawler to the top of the cards around 1973, putting him in a program with longtime legend Jackie Fargo. Lawler was just hitting beginning to hit his stride as a worker as well, which complemented his big mouth nicely. The feud with Fargo was so successful because it was pretty much a shoot: the aging star battling the young, cocky punk to hang onto the top spot.
Meanwhile, McCord was prepared to come back. Some recall that he worked as McCord in Georgia for a while in 1976 before apparently disappearing from the scene altogether for about a year. Judging from the photos I’ve seen of McCord prior to the crash, the dark-haired wrestler had a beefy, powerlifter-type build. While recovering from his injuries and training for a comeback, he lost a lot of bulk.
Lawler really turned up the heat on his heel persona in his programs with the scrappy little Australian, Bill “Superstar” Dundee in 1977. The feud was memorable, with the two meeting dozens of times, trading the still-NWA Southern title, cars and money. And along the way, Dundee and his wife, Beverly, and Lawler’s manager, Mickey Poole, all had their heads shaved. Somehow, the two made amends in 1978 and formed a successful team, winning the Southern tag titles and feuding with teams like the Mr. Fuji and Prof. Tanaka, and the Blonde Bombers.
McCord eventually resurfaced in Texas with the Austin Idol gimmick in March 1978, although a newspaper ad promoting one of his first appearances had him listed as “Often Idle,” which might have been an office rib. During his sabbatical, he apparently had been training, saying his prayers and, uh, eating his vitamins. He was more cut than before and probably about 30 pounds lighter. No doubt inspired by Superstar Graham, the hottest heel of the time, McCord bleached his hair blonde, shaved his chest hair and leg hair, and began wearing tie-dyed trunks and tights.
His newfound gimmick landed him mostly in the middle of the cards, working with the likes of the Von Erichs and Jose Lothario. His stay lasted about three months before dropping a match to Kevin Von Erich on May 29, 1978, in which the stipulation called for Idol to leave town if he lost.
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Idol worked the Portland area a little and then Detroit before heading to Memphis in December 1978. If he had come in with the no-frills McCord image years earlier, he probably would have made the middle of Memphis-area cards as well. But as the flamboyant Idol, he was treated as a superstar from the beginning. In the recent fictionalized account of Hulk Hogan’s life, Bollea claims that his arms were bigger than Superstar Graham’s by the late ’70s. And if that Bollea boast (really, though, couldn’t it just be called “a Hogan” at this point?) is true, Idol’s guns would be right up there with Graham and Hogan. Ironically enough, Idol and Hogan met several times for the Southeastern heavyweight title during Sterling Golden’s (Bollea) run in Knoxville/Southeastern territory.
Although never a worker the caliber of say, Ric Flair, Idol had superior ring psychology and cut promos with the best of them. And in Memphis, that was far important. Besides, I’ll take Idol’s Las Vegas leglock over Flair’s figure-four every day of the week and twice on Monday nights at the Mid-South Coliseum.
Idol made his Coliseum debut on Dec. 11, 1978, defeating Robert Gibson, who was about four years away from his Rock ‘n’ Roll Express gimmick. Two weeks later, on Christmas night, Idol ruined the holidays for young Memphis marks by dethroning the King and taking the AWA Southern title. The two feuded for a few months in 1979, before the promotion turned Lawler heel to again feud Dundee and spark attendance.
Idol went on to work Georgia and Knoxville, while Lawler returned to nailing Dundee with chains, chairs and insults at every turn. Lawler, who often referred to Dundee as a “sawed-off runt,” decided one Saturday morning to explain to new manager Jimmy Hart, announcer Lance Russell and the TV audience the reasons for his rival’s small stature.
“Years back, Dundee asked his daddy how to get bigger, and he told him to rub kitchen grease over his body. When he later told his daddy that he used Crisco instead, his daddy looked at him and said, ‘Crisco? You little idiot. That’s shortening!’”
Although the ’79 feud stemmed from Dundee receiving AWA World title shots against Nick Bockwinkel, Lawler eventually had to settle for winning the CWA World title from Idol influence Superstar Graham in Kentucky. Besides Dundee, Russell had to be Lawler’s favorite verbal target. After Russell returned from a vacation, Lawler greeted him: “It’s good to see you’re back, Lance. Well…I guess it’s a lot better than seeing your front. Hahaha! Isn’t it time for you to go home again? I heard your cage has been cleaned out.”
When Lawler broke his leg months later, Idol was recruited back into the territory as a heel and eventually won the CWA title from Dundee.
Lawler and Idol wouldn’t meet again until the King returned from his broken leg in December 1980. After Lawler disposed of the Dream Machine, Hart called in the biggest names in the business to face Lawler, usually with stipulations. Lawler beat Idol to win Hart’s gold record for the Gentrys’ hit “Keep on Dancin’.” The two met later in a rematch, and as Idol had Lawler trapped in the Las Vegas leglock, the King elected to take a less-than-conventional approach to reverse the hold: He tossed a fireball at the Heartthrob’s neck.
With Idol gone to sell the injury, Lawler continued to feud with Hart. Months later, Lance Russell announced on the air that he had received a wire from Mexican promoter Salvadore Lutteroth saying Lawler had been elected the most popular wrestler in Mexico City. Russell explained that the Memphis show was airing on cable in that area and that somehow Lawler’s popularity had transcended the language barrier. (To his credit, Russell said all this with a straight face and made you believe it.) For the presentation, last year’s winner, the Black Diamond, “El Casa Grande,” would be on hand to give Lawler a plaque. The large, masked Mexican wrestler showed up in a dark trench coat and failed to communicate with Russell until Lawler came out and put on the sombrero that the Diamond had brought. As Lawler smiled for the cameras, the Diamond declared him “Numero uno! Numero uno!” Lance soaked up the moment, calling the Memphis hero “Senor de King.” The Diamond then held up the cheap-looking plaque, which consisted of an 8” x 10” color glossy of Lawler pasted on a small piece of wood with the words “MEXICO” written across the top, with a blue ribbon attached.
The touching ceremony didn’t last long, as the Diamond promptly smashed the plaque over Lawler’s head. The stunned studio audience sat in stunned silence, with a half-dozen babyfaces making the save. With a teenaged Eddie Gilbert restraining him from behind, the Diamond removed his mask to reveal Idol, who apparently hadn’t forgotten about the fireball incident. “I told you, Jerry Lawler, I told you I’d be back. Get that piece of garbage out of here!”
Lawler eventually sent Idol packing again, but the Heartthrob returned about year later and brought the International title with him to the area. (It was announced that Idol had won the belt in Japan from Terry Funk, a bout that almost certainly never took place.)
Explaining that he didn’t want to get caught up in a long feud with Idol again, Lawler promised to defeat his foe in less than five minutes, or he would return the price of admission to every fan in attendance at the Coliseum. Not only did Lawler pin Idol in about four minutes, but he also tossed another fireball at the prone Idol, who scurried from the ring and the arena.
Idol later sent in a promo claming that Lawler’s fireball had made him see the light. For the first time, Idol would be a babyface in Memphis. To get another match with Andy Kaufman, Lawler reluctantly teamed with Idol to face Ken Patera and Man Mountain Link. Idol weakened Patera with the Las Vegas Leglock, allowing Lawler to nail his trademark fistdrop on the former Olympic weightlifter to get the pin and earn another shot at Kaufman.
Idol was a hot babyface, and together with Lawler, they won the CWA tag titles from the Assassins (Roger Smith and Don Bass) and feuded with the Bruise Brothers as well. Idol also worked programs with the likes of Stan Hansen and Rick Rude for the International title.
Idol eventually left the area but remained strong in the eyes of the fans, as Lawler always called on the Heartthrob as a secret weapon of sorts in his wars with teams like the Freebirds. Idol was also called in for babyface spots when Lawler couldn’t work a Monday night show, a role formerly reserved for “Handsome” Jimmy Valiant.
Like Lawler had turned on Dundee years earlier, Idol and the returning Tommy Rich were upset that they had been passed over for a shot at AWA kingpin Bockwinkel. In January 1987, Idol stunned fans at the Coliseum by challenging Lawler to a match before the King’s scheduled title match with Bock. When he was rebuffed, he sucker-punched Lawler, who juiced and then went on to work a 60-minute draw with the champ.
The following week, Lawler agreed to work against Idol and Rich in separate matches on the same night. He tossed a fireball at Rich in the first bout and had Idol on the ring ropes when Rich hit the ring for revenge. The two battered Lawler around the ring, culminating in a nutcracker, i.e., they each grabbed a leg and racked the King’s crown jewels against a ringpost. (This really all tied into together quite nicely, as Lawler was taking a little time off for a vasectomy anyway.)
Idol, always a tremendous interview, really turned it up a notch in this program, perhaps sensing this was his last real shot at making money in the business, which I believe he was tiring of at this point. The feud peaked in April 1987 when Lawler beat Idol in a chain match Memphis-style. As referee Jerry Calhoun prepared to hook Idol to a connecting chain, Lawler slipped free of his end and duct-taped it around a turnbuckle. (Bet that’s one use of duct tape you never thought of, eh?) With Idol trapped with nowhere to go, Lawler pulled a chain and knocked him out with one punch, despite the protests of young manager Paul Heyman.
The following week, Idol challenged Lawler to a cage match with the following stips: hair vs. hair, with Lawler’s Southern title on the line. In a role reversal of the match from 1982, Idol offered to refund the ticket price for every fan in attendance.
In perhaps the hottest Memphis angle ever, Rich crawled out from under the ring and the two gave Lawler a beating, again racking him against the ringpost. Idol followed it up with one of the most classic heel moments of all time: With Lawler lying against the post, still selling the nutcracker, Idol smugly looked down at him, cradled the King’s head in his hands and promptly bitch-slapped the hell out him. Too good.
Somehow, Idol made it out the building alive, but not before giving one of the best promos of his career: “I grew up in Las Vegas rolling the dice and spinning the roulette wheel, jack. I’ve been a gambler since the day I was born and I’ll be a gambler to the day I die!”
TO HEEL WITH IT
Who was the better heel? Like a bad Lawler line, I have to say that it’s kind of like picking the better-looking twin sister. I’d rate Lawler the better worker, with his crazy bumps complementing his heel working style very well. They both were tremendous heel interviews, two of the best of all time. They were both hot draws in their heel roles, they both put asses in the seats.
And they both had music videos featuring really bad songs about their respective careers—Idol’s HEARTTHROB!, which was set to WILD THING!, and Lawler’s WORLD’S GREATEST WRESTLER, which was a takeoff on Handsome Jimmy’s SON OF A GYPSY.
HEARTTHROB!:
Heartthrob! With the body of Apollo and the mind of Einstein…Heartthrob!
Harley Race! Soon the mat will meet your face.
And you’ll go down in disgrace.
Second place. Harley Race.
Ric Flair! Man, I think you bleach your hair.
Idol will slap you down without a care. Ric Flair.
Well, is that Mr. Wrestling Number II?
How can I really know for sure.
Let me take a look under that mask…
…Eeewwwwww!!
WORLD’S GREATEST WRESTLER
Born and raised in Memphis
This is where I stay
Tell all the ladies Jerry Lawler’s on the way
I beat the Idol!
And Joe LeDuc!
Harley Race!
And Karl Krupp!
I beat Jack Brisco!
And Terry Funk!
I beat the giants, and the midgets and the punks!
Actually, those songs are enough to disqualify them both from consideration.
As for my personal interactions with both men, I feuded with Lawler and later managed him when the King turned heel yet again. I met Idol only once, as I refereed a six-man tag involving the Las Vegas native and Terry Funk. I was so nervous about being the ring with two of my favorite performers that I went blank for a moment. After the introductions had been waved, Idol waved me over: “Ref, have we rung the bell yet?” Me: “Uh…no. We haven’t.” Idol: “Well…can we ring it?” Me: “Oh. Right. Sure.”
Overall, I’ll have to name Idol No. 2 and crown Lawler the king of the heels—much like Bobby Shane did years back.
Special thanks to Tim Dills at the KAYFABE MEMORIES Web site for his assistance.
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