What Really Happened When Vince McMahon Took Memphis
A week later, Lawler and Bret had a steel cage match in Memphis the night before their SummerSlam ’93 scrap, which prompted another sensational soliloquy from McMahon as Hart’s biggest cheerleader. As Lawler cut through WWF babyfaces on headsets during Vince’s broadcasts, the opposite occurred on the Memphis telecasts. "How gullible can you people get?" Vince asked, tacitly letting them in on the gag whilst peering down his nose. McMahon delivered a ‘big surprise’ from the WWF in the in the form of Giant González, but after sneaking by the eight-foot monster, Lawler was next tasked with defending his ‘Unified World Title’ against Tatanka.
The undefeated Native American shockingly dethroned Jerry in another dual purpose decision. He was credible enough to hold the gold, and it preserved an undefeated streak still cultivated on WWF television. Tatanka’s title victory triggered the most famous scene from the entire storyline, and foreshadowed how successful McMahon would be as the top antagonist in his own morality play years later.
Calmly but callously reducing USWA to a carnival sideshow, McMahon ripped through the pretence of their supposed ‘war’, positioning the WWF far above Lawler’s lowly Memphis operation. McMahon then unleashed the ultimate insult - he was wearing the World Title belt. Committing an atrocity he’d one day panic Eric Bischoff may do for real, Vince’s dramatic reveal was a symbolic desecration of everything Lawler stood for, and vindicated all of ‘The King’s on-screen needling. Such desecration was unheard-of at the time, and it was ultimately where the angle peaked.
McMahon later upped the stakes by involving Jerry’s former hated rival and WWF stalwart Randy Savage. In his last truly great contribution to the story, super-villain Vince discussed life’s only three certainties - death, taxes and the Macho Man. Vince was incredulous that the Southern fans believed their hero would even stand a chance against Savage. Their match ended cheaply, and Vince cut one more promo promising to return to Memphis alongside Savage for their feud-ender, but Lawler was indicted on charges of statutory rape and McMahon parked all association with him until the case was dropped in early 1994. It was an abrupt denouement for the angle, with Lawler’s lengthy programme with Bret Hart also shelved thanks to his immediate disappearance from WWF television.
Due to conflict over tape ownership impacting much of the Memphis library, the footage is not currently available on the WWE Network, but has been lovingly compiled as ‘McMemphis’ on YouTube. It is required viewing for any long-term fans, and a snapshot of a world still just about small enough to facilitate an entire mirror universe to the biggest wrestling company in the world.
And as Mr. McMahon’s training ground, it would prove the genesis of one of the industry’s most transcendent characters.