Mayor Herenton is scheduled to appear at what is being billed as “the biggest wrestling event ever in Memphis” at the FedExForum on April 27.
The main event for the evening was scheduled to be Jerry Lawler (age 57) vs. Hulk Hogan (age 53). It’s since been changed (we’ll get to that in a moment).
Also scheduled to appear on the card will be “Boogie Woogie Man” Handsome Jimmy Valiant (age 64), Brutus Beefcake (age 50), Koko B. Ware (age 49), “Superstar” Bill Dundee (age 63), and The Barbarian (age 48). With a star-studded line-up like that, I’m sure you can understand why this is being promoted as the biggest wrestling event ever in the city.
(Edited to add: Forgot one – Abdullah the Butcher, age 71. My apologies to Abby for leaving him off the list)
However, the main event had to be changed. Lawler is a WWE announcer, and they refused to let him appear on a show with Hogan, because footage will be filmed for Hulk’s reality show “Hogan Knows Best.” That show airs on a network that competes with WWE’s TV announcer. So the main event has been changed to Hogan vs. “The Giant” Paul Wight (known as The Big Show when he was in WWE). At 35, Wight is a mere baby compared to the rest of the stars on this card.
Too bad Lawler can’t appear… I was hoping this would be the start of a storyline with Mayor Herenton, setting up a Lawler vs. Herenton showdown at a future date to determine who is the real king of Memphis. They could add a stipulation – if Lawler loses he has to leave Memphis forever, if Willie loses he has to step down as mayor. Not only would I go to such a match, but I’d be cheering my lungs out for Jerry Lawler.