AEW is a new promotion that boasts a mix of old and new wrestlers and commentators. In many ways, it honors the past as well as opening a door into the future, so it’s no surprise that they held a show on Elvis Presley’s birthday in Elvis Presley’s hometown of Memphis, Tennessee. It was dubbed AEW Dynamite Anniversary and was a tribute to wrestling legends from the Memphis area.
#AEW will pay Tribute to Legends of Memphis Wrestling THIS WEDNESDAY in Southaven. Legends being honored include:
Angelo Poffo & Randy Savage
Lance Russell
"Hot Stuff" Eddie & Tommy Gilbert
Brian Christopher
Austin Idol
Dave Brown
The Rock & Roll Express
"Handsome" Jimmy Valiant pic.twitter.com/67qLqJ3ilq— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) January 4, 2020
While the promotion is barely a year old, it’s made plenty of waves in the wrestling world for fans and wrestlers. It’s offered us an alternative to WWE programming on primetime television as well as giving wrestlers a promotion that was basically founded by professional wrestlers for professional wrestlers.
In an era where our knowledge of professional wrestling history often comes from one or two sources, this was a pretty cool idea.
Honorees
The list is pretty impressive, and the fact that these superstars originated from this area is something that may not be known to a great many fans around the country/world. This is, in my opinion, why these moments stand out more. It gives the locals a chance to remember some of their favorites they may have gone to see every weekend, while also sticking a feather in their cap at having such a cool history.
While it may not be as large or vast as some other areas, few of these names will go unnoticed.
- Angelo Poffo and Randy Savage
- Lance Russell
- Brian Christopher
- “Hot Stuff” Eddie and Tommy Gilbert
- Austin Idol
- Dave Brown
- The Rock & Roll Express
- “Handsome” Jimmy Valiant
While many of these names are some of the larger influences in professional wrestler, one that’s seemed to garner the most attention from fans is Brian Christopher.
The son of Jerry “The King” Lawler, Christopher is arguably one of the most questionable names on the list, mainly due to his biggest claim to fans was as Grandmaster Sexay as part of Too Cool in the WWE and his lineage. The fact he was a talented wrestler that entertained the fans was enough for him to be added to the list, according to AEW Executive Vice President Cody Rhodes.
Honestly, I don’t see a problem with him being on the list as he was highly entertaining, and that’s what professional wrestling is about, but I wouldn’t mind seeing who was left off. It’d be pretty cool if they did this annually, given the importance Memphis as played in professional wrestling. They could even add other cities to the list like every three or four months. I’m sure a lot of us wouldn’t mind discovering wrestlers we may not have heard of before.
Notable absentee
It’s rare that everyone can make an event like this, so to have names left off a list isn’t anything new. During WWE’s Raw Reunion, Jim Ross was reportedly invited to go by Vince McMahon, and he was granted permission by Tony Kahn (CEO of AEW), but he declined because it would appear to some that his relationship with AEW was already in trouble. In short, he wanted to remain loyal and totally committed to his new home.
That may be the reason that “The King of Memphis”, Jerry Lawler, didn’t go to AEW Dynamite Anniversary. Given he’s under contract to WWE makes it understandable, but given McMahon’s reportedly “us or them” mentality, there may have been other factors, but I’m choosing to believe Lawler declined for the same reason JR had.
Still, that didn’t keep him from voicing his thoughts on the event (Thanks to mandatory.com )for the excerpt and quotes).
“When talking on the CerritoLive podcast, Jerry says that he’s spoken with many that will be attending the show. ‘I have talked to some guys and I think they’re gonna have quite a few guys who were well known in Memphis.” In addition, he feels that AEW isn’t genuinely concerned with the legacy of his home territory.
‘I think a tribute to Memphis Wrestling is actually the last thing on their minds. They’re looking to sell some tickets and pop the crowd.’”
His opinion makes perfect sense. AEW is continually trying to get the word out, and this is a golden PR (public relations) opportunity. To say this didn’t occur to Tony Kahn, Cody Rhodes, or the Young Bucks is most likely wrong.
However, it’s also been noted that this was Tony Kahn’s idea to honor Memphis and those that have contributed professional wrestling.
In my opinion, it’s both. Kahn is trying to honor past greats while expanding AEW’s influence. There’s nothing wrong with that, especially considering they’re in the entertainment business.
Others, like announcer Dave Brown, seem to be taking it less cynically as he called a match on Dynamite (making his national cable debut), and is expected to call a match with Excalibur for next week’s AEW Dark. Some rumors (albeit from a reliable witness) say Excalibur will try his best to emulate Lance Russell.
Guess we have a reason to watch Dark now, don’t we?
Another, Lenny Poffo, who represented his deceased father, Angelo Poffo, and brother, Randy Savage, cut a promo every bit as entertaining as his days as the Genius in WWE.
Memphis Wrestling Legend @LannyPoffo with a special poem for the #AEW Fans. Lanny will pay tribute to his late father Angelo and brother “Macho Man” Randy Savage tonight. pic.twitter.com/U2YB1AW4JP
— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) January 9, 2020
I don’t know about you guys, but this looks like something many of us would like to see in its entirety, so hopefully AEW Dynamite Anniversary will be shared on Dark or AEW’s youtude channel and let us sit back and enjoy the fun times.
