[1994-09-24-USWA-TV] Brian Christopher vs Doug Gilbert

[Loss]

Talk about it here.

[Loss]

Hair vs Hair match from Mid South Coliseum!

 

Well, Lance Russell did say these two were giving Lawler and Dundee a run of their money for having the best matches ever in Memphis. I don't know if that's quite the case, but this is an excellent match. It's mostly highlight form, but the logical progression of the editing tells me all they did was edit out the stalling/non-action parts. It's enough to get a feel for what this was most likely like. Christopher takes some great bumps and was really turning into an excellent working babyface, and these two have really good chemistry. A table makes its way into the match as it goes on, with Doug Gilbert doing a DDT on it. Lawler and Scott Bowden are seconds. Sid Vicious shows up and jumps Lawler. Christopher tries using a chain that Doug brought into the match and the ref catches him, which leads to a ref bump. Post-bump, Doug tries to go after Brian with an ether-soaked rag, but Lawler intercepts and Brian gets Doug with it. He loses the match, then has his head shaved, and isn't even conscious. We got about 5 minutes of highlights of a 17-minute match, and what we got was excellent. The best Memphis thing I've seen in a pretty disappointing year for the group.

 

Back at the studio, a masked Doug Gilbert shows up with Buddy Landell and Scott Bowden. The crowd throws "Baldie!" chants at him, which gets under his skin. Doug is down, but not out - he's a listmaker, baby! I relate to that, as I do the same when it feels like things are spiraling out of control. He names ten things he has decided to do. I can't say shaving Jerry Lawler bald has ever made my list of goals, but maybe I'm not doing it right.

[Kevin Ridge]

What's Corey up to these days? Late night DJ on a soft rock radio station? Memphis is using the sturdy Japanese tables that don't break. Ha, this match had so many chains and there is ether involved also. I thought they would use a fire ball to just singe off Gilberts hair. Fun stuff to watch.

[Exposer]

The highlights of this were really good. I wish we had this in full. The progression of the match is really great and makes sense. Christopher wins win Lawler stops Gilbert from using a towel covered in ether and Christopher uses it instead to win the match. Gilbert gets his head shaved while unconscious afterwards. Back in the studio, Gilbert cuts a good promo on what he's going to do to get revenge and is wearing the Dark Patriot mask to cover his bald head.

[soup23]

Extended highlights of a match that intertwined a lot of elements and was a really good payoff for the months old Gilbert/ Christopher feud. Gilbert does a really good vowing revenge promo in the studio and you got to love the studio crowd chanting Baldie at him.

[PeteF3]

I wasn't a fan of the table getting thrown into the ring and then Kevin Christian suddenly becoming a stickler for the use of chains. That said, Christopher works really hard and bumps his ass off, and the finishing run is long and really, really clever with Christopher trying and failing to use multiple chains and Doug Gilbert's use of ether backfiring on him (notice how Gilbert gets woozy just spraying the towel, which is what allows Lawler to grab him). One of the better MSC clips we've seen in the past 12-18 months. Also a rare case of a USWA feud being blown off in a satisfying manner with all stips fulfilled.

 

Doug Gilbert is out in his Dark Patriot mask with Buddy Landell and Scott Bowden wearing his Uncle Bobby's school colors. Doug vows to shave the heads of Christopher and Lawler.