Memphis pulls the plug on honoring Cal...

[Clive Gollings]

Agree. UM fans got pissy towards the admin and UK fans.

They couldn't and still won't accept the fact he took the better job. It was crazy here with all the UM fans pretending to be UK fans. They were so embarrassed to be UM fans here they actually pretended to be UK fans.

That's when you know you're the bottom of the barrel type fanbase. When you can't and won't even admit to being a fan and pretend to be a fan of another team just to get in a dig here or there. It doesn't get more sorry than that. Don't you agree?

 

[EvilMD]

Fwiw, that was from Jerry Lawler's Continental Wrestling Association, and it preceded the advent of WCW by several years.

You sure about that? Lance Russell was definitely part of the equation.

 

[Tampa_cat54]

Here's a typical Memphis story.

Fair goers took to mugging a RIDE ATTENDANT at the fair, because the line was moving too slow.

You can't make this stuff up.

Only in Memphis...

 

[IL Wildcat]

I have absolutely no issue with Cal coming here of course not, and yes memphis fans are definitely bitter. I can understand why they are so bitter, unlike some on here. All i was saying was i didnt see why people were being pissy towards them...the administration were the ones at fault with the way they handled it.

Francis, the reason folks are being "pissy" toward the Memphis fans here is because they are the reason, according to their president's own statement, that he changed his mind about recognizing Calipari. Now, I agree that it was still a bone headed decision. If he planned to yield to the whims of the fans, he should have asked them their opinions beforehand. Since he didn't, he leaves himself open to major criticism all the way around. I have a feeling the Memphis fans will attack him either way. But there is no question here, the fans are culpable here also. If they hadn't griped and complained so strongly, this decision wouldn't have been made.

I do think the end result here is pretty comical. These grudge holding, petty, hate-filled fans got what they wanted, and now their school is a laughing stock. They got exactly what they deserved on this one.

 

[Bigblueforever]

Cal is great for sure....but dont whine about memphis when there is such a pure hatredof rick pitino, who is a hahall of famer and won us 2 banners!!!

This fan base needs to zip it on this one.

Pitino has 1 banner at Kentucky & one at Louisville.

 

[rickscot]

Fox Sports article nails it....http://www.foxsports.com/college-ba...tribute-cancelled-heartbreak-cowardice-091115

 

[CELTICAT]

You sure about that? Lance Russell was definitely part of the equation.

With the caveat that I could be totally wrong and haven't double checked any info, my recollection was that Kauffman/Lawler was a 1982 event and associated with Jerry Jarrett's CWA. At that time, Georgia Championship Wrestling and Mid Atlantic Wrestling were the NWA strongholds in the South and East (Florida championship wrestling was too I believe). Ric Flair was the NWA champion, and Jim Crokett helped get GCW shows on TBS, later consolidating GCW, MAW and FCW into Jim Crockett Productions, which began branding their TBS show as World Championship Wrestling. Once JCP became insolvent, Ted Turner bought it and kept the WCW branding. I believe in either 1990 or 1991, Turner disaffiliated WCW from NWA. Point being that WCW was not originally an organization unto itself, but rather a way to market NWA wrestling on the superstation. Further point being that CWA was a separate "territory" altogether, and that was Lawler's territory.

 

[UKWildcatT]

There are only three Memphis wrestling historians bigger than me: Jim Cornette, Scott Bowden and Mark James (author of several Memphis wrestling books)

Celtic is correct. It started in 82 when Kaufman was hanging out at MSG, hoping to get his shtick (wrestling women) on WWF shows.

Veteran journalist Bill Apter, who befriended Kaufman, told him Vince Sr wouldn't go for that type of stuff, but he had a friend (Lawler) who'd love this type of stuff.

Kaufman was only brought in to do the angle with women until Lawler saw $ in the angle (w/Foxy, the woman that nearly beat Kaufman).

This led to the Lawler/Kaufman feud.

World Championship Wrestling was Georgia Championship Wrestling, but once they started to grow on TBS, they began expanding to Ohio and Michigan (after the Sheik killed those areas a few years before). They realized their reach in those areas due to a Wrestling II angle where they got tons of mail from that area.

WCW was still in the NWA until the Briscos sold their shares in GCW to Vince, thus knocking the Georgia show off the air. Turner gave the Georgia office the early morning Saturday show until Crockett paid $1 million to Vince to take over the 6:05 slot. Thus began the slow merge of the Georgia and Mid Atlantic offices, which lasted until late 88 when rudiculous spending caught up with Crockett and was forced to sell to Turner. This led to company dissolving itself from the NWA (which the dates are debatable) and officially becoming WCW, while the NWA became a name glorified Indy promoters tried to use in an effort to legitimize themselves.

 

[Doctor-J]

You guys have way too much time on your hands if you know that much about 1982 wrestling.

 

[Clive Gollings]

You guys have way too much time on your hands if you know that much about 1982 wrestling.

And I'm sure you can bore the poo out of many people with your hobby.

 

[UKWildcatT]

You guys have way too much time on your hands if you know that much about 1982 wrestling.

Why do you care what's someones interest is? What's your hobby? Better yet, why the eff do I care about your hobby

 

[Doctor-J]

Why do you care what's someones interest is?

I don't care.

What's your hobby?

Don't want to bore you with the details.

Better yet, why the eff do I care about your hobby

Good question.

 

[CELTICAT]

You guys have way too much time on your hands if you know that much about 1982 wrestling.

Lawler slapped Kauffman on Letterman and Kauffman went on a profane tirade that almost ended Letterman's career. It's literally one of the most famous things to happen on live tv.

 

[EvilMD]

I don't know what I was thinking. I guess I just remember Lance Russell opening every show (following the 2001 theme) with "Yyyyello everybody, welcome to another week of championship wrestling...."

Of course WCW was Flair and Sting (whose son played for us).

 

[UKWildcatT]

Lawler slapped Kauffman on Letterman and Kauffman went on a profane tirade that almost ended Letterman's career. It's literally one of the most famous things to happen on live tv.

I haven't seen the Lawler DVD, but he does a great job on the Austin podcast of telling the story. If you can listen to high, I highly recommend