WWE stops Hogan-Lawler from happening

[GreatWhiteNope 0]

http://www.pwinsider.com/ViewArticle.asp?id=23871&p=1

 

MEMPHIS WRESTLING PRESS CONFERENCE RECAP: WWE FORCES LAWLER OUT, PAUL WIGHT VS. HULK HOGAN NEW MAIN EVENT, WWE TRIES TO STOP SHOW, WIGHT SHOOTS ON WWE

 

by Mike Johnson @ 1:02:00 PM on 4/12/2007

 

PMG Clash of the Legends Memphis Press Conference Recap

 

Introduced at the beginning of the conference were Mike Barbee, Jimmy Hart, Cory Macklin, and Jerry Lawler.

 

Barbee took the stand and said it was a big event for Memphis and the biggest independent wrestling event ever presented in the United States. Barbie then introduced Jerry Lawler. Lawler thanked everyone for coming out and said there would be some breaking news in a few minutes that was a surprise to him. Lawler praised Cory Macklin for his hard work with Memphis Wrestling over the years, saying he was the brains behind a lot that's gone on.

 

Lawler talked about the legacy of the Mid-South Coliseum when it comes to professional wrestling and that the venue was closed last December for not being in compliance with the American Diabilities Act. He said he and Macklin got together with the idea of having one last show in the Mid-South Coliseum as a farewell to the venue, with it being a Memphis Wrestling show.

 

Lawler said back in November, Hulk Hogan and his daughter Brooke were promoting her CD in Memphis and someone brought up that Hogan and Lawler had a match 20 years ago and that it's still shown regularly on Memphis TV. Hogan said that maybe down the line they can finalize that match and have a rematch. When Hogan returned to Memphis sometime later, they brought it up again.

 

Lawler said that Cory Macklin went to the Memphis City Council about doing the show at the Mid-South Coliseum and was turned down. Macklin refused to be told no and went to the Mayor's office and the Mayor was enthusiastic about the idea, even having his office write a letter saying that they supported the idea of doing one last match at Mid-South. Jimmy Hart told Hogan, who thought it would be a perfect match to close the building and that's how the match came about.

 

Lawler said that a few days after they finalized the idea of the match, some people in the Justice Department was brought in and told the Mayor that there was no way there could be even one more show at the Coliseum unless millions of dollars were spent to upgrade the facility. Lawler said that the match was off even though it was announced. The "fine people at the FedEx Forum:" came forward to help and negotiated with Macklin, saving the event.

 

Lawler discussed the match with Hogan from 20 years ago, saying it ended with a disqualification but there were times Lawler had him on the ropes. He said Hogan went on to become one of the biggest stars in wrestling history, so when Memphis Wrestling showed the match again on tape, it would be edited to show Lawler in control. Word would get back to Hogan over the years and a lot of people are

 

Lawler said they expected it to be the biggest event in the history of Memphis Wrestling, but "as most people know" Lawler works for World Wrestling Entertainment announcing every Monday. He said this past Monday, he was called into the office and asked if he was going to wrestle Hogan in Memphis. He told them that he was and they said that was a problem. Lawler noted that the business is fun, but there's a not so fun side of it and that's the business side of it. He noted that he was under contract to WWE while Hogan is under contract to VH-1 for his reality show.

 

He said that there is a problem with any NBC/Universal talent (which WWE stars fall under) appearing on VH-1. He noted that Hogan cannot pull out of his deal with VH-1 because one of the major reasons the show was being done was to have footage for the reality show. Lawler reiterated that he cannot appear on VH-1, so he's going to have to "bow out of the match". Lawler said that he wishes it could happen but because of contracts and business reasons, he cannot appear and wrestle Hogan.

 

Lawler announced that there would still be a show on 4/27 in Memphis with Hulk Hogan wrestling. Lawler said that Hogan was looking forward to walking out of Memphis having beaten Jerry Lawler and walking out with a smile on his face for VH-1 cameras and Lawler was looking forward to stopping that. Lawler said Cory Macklin has pulled a miracle out of his hat and Hogan's visit won't be as pleasant as Hogan likely hoped it would be, but "the show must go on." Lawler said that he won't be involved but the show will be bigger and better.

 

Jimmy Hart took the mic and said he was devastated last night when he found out the news. Hart said that everyone knows the tradition of wrestling in the city of Memphis. Hart talked about growing up watching Memphis Wrestling on channel 5 every week. He said five years ago, Cory Macklin came to him with the idea of doing a studio show every Saturday morning and history was made. He said next month, it will be over 200 shows that were recorded on CW30. He said that Macklin kept the dream of Memphis Wrestling alive.

 

Mackline took the mic and said that while they had some tough news but also some big news. He thanked the Payroll Management Group and said it was the first of many events they hoped to have at the FedEx Forum, Clash of the Legends. Macklin ran down the names that are signed for the show, which we've mentioned here on PWInsider.com before. He noted Lance Russell will be there and the Mayor will ring the first bell.

 

He ran down the ticket prices, noting the golden circle ringside will include a meet and greet with everyone on the show, including Hulk Hogan. He thanked the sponsors and noted Sam's Town casino will be giving out free $20 slot machine cards to the first 5,000 fans in attendance.

 

Macklin then announced the new main event will feature Hulk Hogan back in the ring. Hogan made his way to the podium and thanked everyone for coming out. Hogan said it's been a strange twist of fate over the last 24 hours when he found out Lawler won't be participating. He said that unfortunately something that was going to be a fun situation created some political drama and joked about Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson.

 

Hogan said that Cory Macklin and Jimmy Hart have always had WWE's support in the past with WWE sending talents to their Memphis Wrestling shows. He said that Hogan vs. Lawler was going to be a fun match for the old school hardcore fans to see again and they wanted to close the Mid-South Coliseum.

 

When that didn't happen, they had the chance to come to the FedEx Forum. Hogan said the Forum called the WWE to make sure it was OK and WWE told them it wasn't a problem because Jerry Lawler, Jimmy Hart, and Cory Macklin were involved....until Hulk Hogan's name came into the picture. Hogan said that WWE officials tried to get the Forum to cancel and were told no. Hogan said that WWE then offered to pay Cory Macklin's deposit back, plus interest but were turned down by Macklin.

 

Hogan said that one of his concerns about the show was wrestling Jerry Lawler, since Jerry appears on Raw every week. He said he asked Jerry if it was going to be OK because "once Hulk Hogan is involved, things change." Hogan said that Lawler promised him that even if he was fired, he would wrestle the match.

 

This week, WWE came to Lawler with a bunch of reasons as to why he couldn't appear on the show, including protecting their intellectual properties, saying they wouldn't send talent to Memphis Wrestling anymore, and also that they didn't want Lawler appearing on VH-1 because of the contractual problems with NBC Universal. Hogan noted that in recent years, lots of WWE stars including Vince McMahon have appeared on his VH-1 reality series, which has even even included clips of his Summerslam matches.

 

Hogan said that he feels its a personal thing against him. He said that he feels bad Lawler doesn't want to participate because WWE is his main source of employment. Hogan noted that perhaps WWE and Vince McMahon feel that Hogan, at 53, can be a threat to them and perhaps they are right. He joked that WWE supports Memphis Wrestling until he comes along, and says perhaps Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton can explain to him what discrimination is all about.

 

Hogan said that his knee replacement has been feeling good and now his good knee feels up to par as well. He says that he's been running and jogging again for the first time in years and honestly feels like he is in the best shape in a long time.

 

Hogan said none of them are going to back down and they are going to deliver the match that should have been part of Wrestlemania 23 in front of 80,000 people. Hogan promised that they had something big for the fans and thanked everyone for supporting the company.

 

Macklin said that they are staying the course for the show and nothing, no matter who they are, are going to stop them, because Hogan's opponent will be "formerly known as the Big Show", Paul "The Great" Wight.

 

Wight came to the podium and thanked the city of Memphis for allowing the match to happen. He said it was a match that the fans wanted to see and thanked Cory Macklin for not backing down. Wight said that Hogan had given him a lot of advice and was a big influence on his life. He said that he can't think of a better opportunity than to wrestle Hulk Hogan on 4/27 and put him in his place with a chokeslam and a pinfall. He said that he admires Hogan and what he's done for the industry but he's not going to walk into the ring as Hogan's friend. He said he sees a chance to carve his place in history and he's going to take it.

 

Cory Macklin said that no matter what happens the "Big Show must go on." Wight returned to the mic and said, "I renounce my slave name. My name is Paul Wight."

 

Macklin said that he believes to the fans and the city of Memphis and he refused to sellout and not deliver for the city.

 

They opened up for a question and answer session. Hogan was asked if he was scared about wrestling. Hogan said he's not scared but he wishes it was Jerry Lawler. He said that people don't truly understand the business and the injuries. He said that no matter what happens, you get hurt in the ring. He said that at his age, he wishes it was Lawler but Paul Wight puts another spin on it. He said that as you get older, you get brittle, but also more aggressive.

 

Hogan said that he's not done with his career and when he saw WWE made fun of his daughter Brooke, that made his perception of them as people change forever. He said that made him decide he needs to do something and Memphis is a great place to start. Hogan noted that Wight isn't part of the WWE anymore.

 

Hogan said this show is the start of Hogan deciding how to write the end of his legacy. He said that the only way to do that is to show that Hulk Hogan fans and the Hulkamania fans are bigger than the WWE. He said if they fill the building, this will send a message. He said the show is exciting to him because he's going to be part of the match that fans were cheated out of for Wrestlemania 23. He said that they were in negotiations for the match but WWE didn't want to take it "on the straight and narrow." He said he isn't going to let the period on his legacy be that WWE made fun of his children.

 

Paul Wight said that he's trying to break out of his own and give back to the fans and the industry. He said that he's got to bring his best side because he has his kids and family to feed. He said that he doesn't want to live in the shadows of anyone, Vince McMahon or otherwise anymore. Wight said that he's down 60 lbs. now and does intense cardio training. He said he took time off due to injuries and mental fatigue from the grind. He said that mentally and physically he feels stronger and faster than he has in the last 10 years. He said he can't find a better idea to test himself then against the best of all time.

 

Hogan said it's going to be a great test for all of them and Hogan said it's weird to finally be able to physically run again. Hogan said that he hasn't felt this good in years, not even during his comeback against The Rock in 2002. He said that it's the first independent show he's ever done in his career and he can't believe the monster that this has turned into. He said he's glad he's in good shape for the match and is happy he's against Paul Wight.

 

Cory Macklin said that fans are going to be a chance to be part of history. Paul Wight reiterated he's getting out beyond the shadows of others.

 

Hogan was asked how his family feels about it. He joked his wife likes to see him get beat up, but his kids worry about him because they see the day to day effect of the injuries. Hogan says he's wrestled longer than anyone he knows except for Ric Flair and this is all he knows.

 

Macklin was asked about WWE's feeling on the show. He said they were asked by WWE to pull the show and refused. He said that WWE offered to reimburse them for not running the show and they all refused.

 

Wight was asked where the new name came from. Wight joked that it was his real name. When asked why he got involved in the match, he said that he's one of the few talents not owned by Vince McMahon anymore. He said he wants to build his name and his brand and Hogan will help him springboard that. He said now he gets to do what he wants as opposed to someone else taking 97% of the merchandising rights and having to do what someone else thinks is funny or worthwhile. He said that whatever he does right now, he's free and he's going at it 100% for himself, not for someone who wants to run a thoroughbred to the ground and then jump on the next horse.

 

Big Show was asked about TNA. Show said that Billy Gunn is a good friend of his and he's close with Kurt Angle. He said at this point, he's leery of working with any established promotions because he doesn't want to be owned by anyone at this point of his life.

 

At that point, the audio from the video feed went silent.

[Downhome 0]

I watched the entire thing earlier and it was pretty interesting. Paul Wight really did seem to get agitated when they would refer to him as The Big Show or The Giant. I think this Hogan/WWE "feud" is quite shitty, and it's obvious that they only did this to be a pain in the ass, and not because of any deal about their workers being on VH1. Like Hogan said, people from WWE were on his show when he was in good standing with WWE. It's all just a bunch of bullshit.

 

They've been promoting the Hogan/Lawler match for over a month now I do believe.

[1234-5678 0]

This shouldn't surprise anyone. Remember when they pulled Lawler from MLW's War Games, back in, when, 2003?

[Corkscrew_Senton 0]

This shouldn't surprise anyone. Remember when they pulled Lawler from MLW's War Games, back in, when, 2003?

 

This kinda shit right here is why I hate Vince McMahon...not the WWE TV character, but the businessman. Here's Lawler appearing on an indy show before a crowd of 2,000 people, a fed with no TV contract thus no way a viable threat to WWE. So McMahon shits on it. He can talk all he want on his DVDs about competition being good for business, and while it's true because it forces companies to write better shows, he's too chicken shit to let even tiny indies get the least bit over.

[GreatWhiteNope 0]

http://www.wrestlingobserver.com/wo/news/h...t.asp?aID=19218

 

Update on Memphis situation regarding WWE and Memphis Wrestling

 

by Dave Meltzer

 

WWE today pulled Shelton Benjamin, Charlie Haas and Boogeyman from tomorrow night's Memphis Wrestling show at Sam's Town Casino in Tunica, MS in the fallout of forcing Jerry Lawler out of his match with Hulk Hogan on 4/27.

 

From this point forward, no WWE contracted talent will be allowed to work for the promotion. It is unclear whether Lawler, who has an announcers contract but not a talent contract, would be allowed to work on television or on other shows.

 

The promotion has used WWE talent since the beginning of time, as well as outside talent.

 

The issue was the problems with Vince McMahon and Hulk Hogan were such that McMahon didn't want the show to come off. Ironically, the Fed Ex Forum had contacted WWE last week when the site of the show was forced to move and WWE said they had no problem with them housing a show. But Lawler was then told Monday night at television that he wouldn't be allowed to work on the show. Lawler told Maclin that the WWE would reimburse him his deposit money spent to book the building, but Maclin decided against it and wanted to continue with the show.

 

The program, tickets, billboards, radio and print ads all built around Lawler vs. Hogan will have to be changed, as well as having to redo major aspects of the television show that wuoild air the next two Saturdays.

 

Despite how it was phrased by Lawler at today's press conference, VH-1 filming was not an issue. The complete issue is that McMahon didn't want such a high-profile match taking place involving Hogan. Lawler asked if he could make an appearance on the show that wouldn't involve Hogan and he was told he could not appear on the show if Hogan appeared. He did appear at the press conference today saying he wouldn't wrestle on the show before it was announced that Paul Wight, the former Big show, would face Hogan.

 

It has become a major story in the Memphis media since Mayor Willie Herenton was a participant on the show and did interviews regarding the cancellation.

 

CW-30 in Memphis has a one-hour special scheduled for tonight that would promote the match as well as tomorrow night's show. WWE earlier in the week sent in interviews with Haas & Benjamin for the show, which was unable to be changed by the local station at the last minute. They are expected to run a crawl noting the new main event for 4/27 during the promotion for Lawler vs. Hogan.

[Downhome 0]

Wow, talk about a pile of bullshit from WWE.

 

The guys from TNA should call up the guys in Memphis right now and work something out with them. The guys at PWInsider suggested sending Angle/Christian up there for this show, let Memphis pay them at a discounted rate, and get the guys in Memphis to allow TNA to tape the match in order to show on TNA programing, since it would look great to have them wrestle in front of a few thousand people.

 

If not that, at least an X-Divison match, or just something.

[tekcop 0]

There's a good chance they might sell out the Fed-Ex Forum. The $60 tickets with the Hogan meet-and-greet sold out in a couple of hours. I imagine this show'll get a lot of last minute walk ups since the cheap seats are about $20. I got the $45 ones mostly because I'd like to see some of the older wrestlers before they all die -- especially Hogan.

[Downhome 0]

I hear that they were also giving away a free $20 chip to use in the casinos to the people who got tickets first, but I forget what the number is. So if people jump on that, you could look at it as $20 off whichever price of ticket you end up buying.

 

I don't think there's a chance of a sell out though. You can still get as many as 10 tickets together in the $45 range as of right now. Don't get me wrong though, I do think it'll be a success. I think it'll do better than anyone expects, but I don't think it'll be a sell out. That would be awesome, and I'm pulling for it, but it wont happen.

 

If I was up that way, I'd be going to this show without a doubt.

 

tekcop, be sure to let us know how it goes once you get back.

 

About the specifics of the show though, there is one thing I'm unsure of right now. Will the fact that Lawler isn't going to be there going to hurt or, possibly, help the show? It's in Memphis, and there are a ton of Lawler fans who would go to the show just because Lawler is on the card regardless of his opponent. Then, on the other hand, you have the draw of Hogan vs. The Big Show/The Giant/Paul Wight, and that match could bring in even more fans since TBS has been a major star in the mainstream for the past 13 years or so now. I can see people outside of Memphis more willing to make the long trip down to see that match, especially since it was almost a Wrestlemania draw just earlier this year.

[Canadian Brandon 0]

I'm going and I can't wait. Heard a rumor that Maclin is trying to work out a deal with TNA since WWE pulled the plug on them. Maybe we will get a surprise at the show.

[Downhome 0]

From Brian Tramel, www.rasslinriotonline.com

 

----I talked with the FedEx Forum today and they stated they have 1,500 tickets already sold for the Memphis Wrestling Hulk Hogan vs. Paul Wight match. That is already a gate of $70,875. I might be guessing too much here, but I am thinking around $100,000 for talent and the advertising going into this event. So, anything over that is going to be pure profit. Cost may be lower, but you know Hogan is probably got to take more than $10,000, which was his rumored fee.

[Lil' Bitch 0]

Fuck! I actually wanted to see Hogan / Lawler.

 

Hogan said this show is the start of Hogan deciding how to write the end of his legacy

 

Bullshit! If he really wanted to do that, he should have jobbed clean to Orton at SummerSlam.

[Hawk 34 0]

Fuck! I actually wanted to see Hogan / Lawler.

 

Hogan said this show is the start of Hogan deciding how to write the end of his legacy

 

Bullshit! If he really wanted to do that, he should have jobbed clean to Orton at SummerSlam.

 

How? Doing the job to a guy that clearly will never reach whatever potential he had, that would be Hogan's decision to write the end of his legacy? Hogan has done many questionable things but not putting over Orton isn't one of them.

 

Hogan's writing his own ticket now. Hogan will always draw and as long as "big" names continue to hang around, Hogan will thrive. If Hogan did 2-3 of these events a year, he'd make a good paycheck and run his own deal. Just think of the names outside WWE that Hogan could pair with for a draw.

[Dobbs 3K 0]

By "write the end of his own legacy" he means "Make sure everyone knows that Hulkamania's gonna live forever, brother!"

[The Buzz 0]

I guess the thing has sold a little over 5000 tickets so far.

[Downhome 0]

WWE has pulled Rock N' Roll Express Robert Gibson from the show now as well, since he works for them as a trainer or something so says PWInsider.

[Hawk 34 0]

Lawler, I got since he's a on-screen presence but Gibson isn't.

[CanadianChris 0]

What a small, petty man Vince is.

[Dobbs 3K 0]

Heaven forbid a WWE employee who isn't even seen on screen, make a little extra cash!

[Guest NateW]

It's ridiculous to see that Hogan and company are being made out to be the innocent victims here. What a load of B.S. Nobody is innocent that's involved in this entire Memphis situation. WWE pulling Robert Gibson was probably just them trying to to do whatever else possible to mess with this show. They probably feel the need to do this since Hogan and that Bubba the Love Sponge idiot keep talking stupid trash, including making race claims.

 

Besides, this situation is Hogan getting a dose of karma. Lawler bailed on him and his show for the WWE money just like Hogan has bailed on groups over the years in order to work WWE into giving him a big payday.

[Hawk 34 0]

How is that karma? Hogan still has a big draw and will make his money regardless. Vince will crawl back to Hogan again in a couple of years anyways. They feel the need because they always refuse to let talent work even the smallest promotions. We've seen them take talent off ROH shows, legends conventions and even tribute shows. Even unused JTTS like Richards were yanked off booked shows.

 

WWE had a arguement with Lawyer although he's been allowed to work memphis shows in the course of his tenure with WWE being an on screen character but since Vince is in another lover's quarrel with Hogan, Lawler gets yanked from it citing a b.s purpose.

 

Gibson is beyond ludicrous. You can't even support that decision.

[Guest NateW]

Lawler could've quit on WWE and worked this show, but he didn't. Instead he opted to continue cashing his WWE checks. Lawler bailed on this project for the money just like Hogan has bailed on promotions for a payday. Anybody remember what he pulled with TNA and the XWF?

[Hawk 34 0]

Lawyer's supposed to quit his job for a house show? Despite the fact WWE has always allowed him to work indy shows in Memphis? He should lose his job because Vince is a jilted lover? He didn't BAIL on it. He's under a contract. If he quit, he couldn't work the show anyways.

[Canadian Brandon 0]

Here is the card for the show tonight. I'm really looking forward to it.

 

-Hulk Hogan vs. Paul Wight.

- Brutus Beefcake & Bubba The Love Sponge vs. The New Assassins w/ The Big Cheese Sal Corrente.

- Buff Bagwell vs. Brian Christopher.

- Abdullah The Butcher vs. Al Green.

- Koko B. Ware & Kid Kash vs. Bill Dundee & Dutch Mantell w/ Jimmy Valiant.

- The Barbarian vs. Moondog Cujo.

- Greg Valentine vs. Mr. Hughes.

- Ricky Morton & TBA vs. 2 Cool II.

- Jazz vs. Christie Ricci vs. Miss Passion.

[Dobbs 3K 0]

Definitely a lot of names on the card. Won't be a work rate bonanza, but looks like it will be a fun card, I guess.

[bob_barron 0]

Wow.

 

That show sounds awful.

 

They couldn't shell out some cash for some TNA guys?

[Canadian Brandon 0]

Promo of the year: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08BrYTtFIxs

[Hawk 34 0]

Wow.

 

That show sounds awful.

 

They couldn't shell out some cash for some TNA guys?

 

Well, most of the good workers are working the ROH shows this weekend but even then you'd still have Christian, 3D, Steiner, AMW, Angle, Abyss, Rhyno and some other acts. Given that the June PPV is in Nashville, they really should have sent someone to this show to promote it. Just poor decision making there. I know Hogan is the draw and that's fine but Rhyno can't be that expensive to get for a night (which isn't the case for Christian, 3D and Angle)

[Downhome 0]

Yeah, the card wont have much great wrestling, but it sounds like it could be fun. If it was within an hour or two of me, I'd go just to see the big Hogan/Wight match, Abby, and then consider everything else just extra.

 

That video that CB just posted, it's great stuff. It's such an oldschool type of promo from both of the guys, and you don't see much of that these days.

[Hawkius Maximus 0]

Those two promos were AWESOME.

 

Hogan was in 1980's form, talking about riding into the pacific with a hippy in one hand, and a palm tree in the other which somehow allowed him to speak to god himself who indeed, said Hogan was in fact, Immortal.

 

THAT was the Hogan I grew up loving.

 

That just made me wanna see this show.

[Downhome 0]

I don't know which group, but damnit, we need some indie group to somehow put together another Hogan/Warrior match. Sure, the match itself would be interesting if only because of the two names and that it would be on an indie show, but I'm more interested in the dueling Hogan/Warrior promos!

 

EDIT:

 

Check out this site:

 

http://rasslinriotnews.blogspot.com/

 

Brian Tramel will have match by match coverage. Here is what he has to say so far:

 

----Stay tuned right here for the match by match coverage. You may need to REFRESH your browser to keep the matches updated.

 

----It looks like we got about 1600 to 1800 people in the building. The 5200 number that Hogan was saying looks like was just a work.

 

----I forgot to mention that Dave Meltzer reported that this match by match coverage was starting at 7:50 EASTERN time earlier today, but does have it corrected now. If you came to the site one hour early, then my apologies.

 

----Bubba The Love Sponge promised 1000 tickets - I guess Hogan was only good for 800??