"And I'm much too young to be this damn old." -- Garth Brooks
Not too long ago a post showed up on the Wrestling Legends e-group that gave the opinion that Jerry Lawler was "way past his prime" and should "know when to give it up." That post and the responses that followed made both Scott Teal and myself think, "That would make a pretty good topic for ‘Random Shots'." Scott wrote to me in an e-mail a few weeks ago.
Just how old is "too old" to be in the ring?
I'm certainly not going to make the argument that no wrestler far past his or her prime and ring skills has ever stepped into the ring in pro wrestling. In fact, I've been a vocal critic in several incidences in which long-time veterans or legends have had absolutely no business being in the ring. Yet I've also cheered for the men and women who've seemingly defied time (and gravity) to continue to be credible competitors in pro wrestling well past the age of 50. Note that I said credible competitors and not merely a sideshow. To be totally honest in the matter, there was a time that I myself scoffed that guys that were "over 40" had no business in the ring. Now that I approach that age myself, my opinion on that has drastically altered.
One of the things that seem to allow wrestlers to continue to be credible in the ring long after other professional athletes have retired seems to be the attitude of the wrestler themselves. Do they act "old?" Do they visibly dodge spots or even routine bumps? Do they refuse to sell to guys that are obviously younger, faster and stronger than them? In cases like this, it doesn't take the average fan long to see that the person has no business in the ring. In his book "Mankind: Have A Nice Day," Mick Foley pointed out that Tiger Jeet Singh operated in this manner in Japan. Just the opposite was Foley's hero and mentor, Terry Funk. Funk didn't think "old" and the fans didn't perceive him as "old", even when he was facing guys that were literally half his age.
Lawler is a great example of staying young by not thinking old. Lawler's son Brian (Christopher) Lawler aka "Grandmaster Sexay" has been in the business for awhile now and few fans could believe that Jerry was old enough to have a son Brian's age. Of course, having a girlfriend like Stacy "Kat" Carter would be a great incentive to "think young." I had the chance to see Lawler in Raleigh, NC, this year against Tazz at SummerSlam and Jerry worked the match hard and took some very stiff bumps. Sure, he was nowhere near the level of guys like the Hardys and Dudleyz, but he didn't have to be. He's Jerry "The King" Lawler and he's already proved himself in the ring for years.
But can he still work? Definitely!
I noticed this week that Jerry would be in one of the feature matches in the WWF PPV this weekend against Steven Richards of the RTC. Add to that the fact that he still wrestles regularly on the weekly Memphis Championship Wrestling cards in his developmental promotion along with the future stars of the WWF, and it's a pretty impressive work rate.
I got to see another good example of this a couple of weeks ago. I went to Washington, NC, to an NWA Mid-Atlantic Wrestling card to visit two of my best friends, Curtis "Firebreaker Chip" Thompson and NWA Hall of Famer Leilani Kai. Now that's two folks that already fit into this "don't think old" category right there! Both of them have passed the 4-0 mark and still work just as hard as the youngsters that they help train. Just as I walked in the door near the dressing room, Leilani ran up and grabbed me by the arm saying, "Come on! The man is waiting to see you!"
"Who?" I asked, wondering why the former WWF Women's Champion was giggling like a schoolgirl with a secret. "Dusty!" she said. I knew that Dusty Rhodes was scheduled to be there that night but I didn't expect to have someone like Leilani Kai introduce me to Dusty Rhodes. "Let the mark-out begin!" I said.
Lei took me to the back where "The American Dream" was in the locker area talking to several young wrestlers, including Lodi, Andrue "Bubba" Bane, and Q-Sic. He stood up and I was amazed at how tall Rhodes was. He stuck out a big hand and, with that distinctive West Texas lisp, said "It's a pleasure to meet you, sir." I talked to him and Leilani for a few minutes before Ricky Morton, who is the current booker for the promotion, walked in and greeted us. As a long-time fan, I had never dreamed that one day I'd be in the locker-room talking to Dusty Rhodes, Leilani Kai and Ricky Morton.
When Bobby Eaton came in the door, I almost lost it. Bobby walked up to me and introduced himself (like someone wouldn't know him, right?) and we talked for a minute. When I mentioned that I wrote a column for Scott Teal's website, his face lit up. "Scott Teal? He's an old buddy of mine from Gulas' promotion!" From that minute on, Bobby treated me like he had known me all his life and immediately started putting pieces of candy in my hand everytime I turned around! "Here TaZ, have some more…" I swear the guy is a sugar freak. Maybe that has something to do with the fact that he's one of the nicest people I've ever had the pleasure to meet.
I found Dusty to be a very soft-spoken person with a great, dry, sense of humor. Between Ricky Morton's stories and jokes, and Dusty's off the cuff comments, I spent the whole evening laughing and enjoying this reunion of sorts. I also found him to be a very knowledgeable producer and businessman who readily shared advice and information with the youngsters in the room. Even guys with "Big 2" experience like Lodi sat under "The Learning Tree" in that room, with Rhodes, Morton, Eaton, Kai and Thompson being open and honest with all of them. Ricky and Dusty even worked in an extra angle just before the intermission to allow a couple of the young guys who came in to have a chance to get in the ring.
But, back to the topic at hand. The main event of the night was Dusty and Ricky Morton against Bobby Eaton and Rikki Nelson (himself a veteran of the old Crockett Promotion). All four guys went at it with some fantastic work and some hilarious spots that I haven't seen in awhile. The heels fed Rhodes for the "Bionic Elbow" and the "Flip, Flop and Fly" while Bobby hit several top rope moves. It was like a trip back in time. Dusty had said that night that he would be heading to WCW again the following week and, sure enough, the Dream and the Nature Boy would once again clash in the ring. The reaction to Flair and Rhodes going at it again during that angle was enough to bring up the rumor of the two meeting at a WCW PPV in the future.
Lou Thesz, Dick The Bruiser, Fritz Von Erich, the original Sheik, Verne Gagne, Nick Bockwinkle, Ray Stevens, Dory Funk Jr., Wahoo McDaniel, and others continued to wrestle successfully past what many younger people would consider "their prime." Some, like Gagne, Bruiser and Sheik (who were the bosses of their territories) failed to use younger talent effectively and ultimately their promotions fell by the wayside. However, Von Erich built a successful promotion around his sons and some of the best young talent available at that time, including The Freebirds, Gino Hernandez, Jimmy Garvin, Chris Adams and others.
How old is "too old?" I don't think there's any way that you can put an age limit on pro wrestling because guys like these are going to prove you wrong if you do. I don't think there should be a "senior's" promotion either (although that's been WCW's nickname for awhile now) because it's interaction with veterans like these that can make the younger wrestlers so much better. As long as a wrestler can truly "sell" to the fans and themselves the fact that they belong in the ring, don't call them "old."
