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Outlaw's Final Shootout

Posted: Dec 10th 2008 By: CMBurnham

They say that when it comes time for an old horse to die, the best thing to do is to take him out behind the barn and shoot him.

That wasn't how Outlaw wanted to go out.

The wiley OKC veteran went out simply wanting to know who the better man was. And if he had to lose to the better man, then so be it. There was no disgrace losing to someone who was better than you. There was plenty of disgrace, though, in the actions of Outlaw's protege Xavior after his last match.

The problems between Xavior & Kevin Morgan began a couple of months ago during Outlaw's tenure as interim MSWA commissioner. He gave them one last chance to become #1 contenders to the MSWA Mid-South Tag Team Titles held by The Forsaken. It didn't work and the rift began to appear. Morgan & Outlaw, who had been enemies longer than friends, began to drift apart. All the while, Xavior & Outlaw became closer and closer.

On November 22, the three men faced off in a Triple Threat Match with MSWA Oklahoma Champion Bad Boy as the special ringside enforcer. Towards the end of the match, Ringmaster Randy was clotheslined and the match had no referee. Outlaw went to hit Kevin Morgan with his branding iron, but accidentally knocked out Xavior. Morgan then got the iron and knocked Outlaw out, giving him an easy opportunity to gain a pin. After the match, Xavior was preoccupied with Bad Boy, but Outlaw had a surprise announcement. He needed to know who the better man was and put out a challenge for a 1-on1 match. But there would be huge stipulations. If Morgan lost, he would be banned from MSWA for a year. But if Outlaw lost, he would have to retire. Morgan thought hard and agreed. Xavior tried to do some early damage to his former partner, but Outlaw held him back , saying this was his fight and he needed to prove something.

Outlaw holds the distinction of wrestling 2 retirement matches. On December 6, Outlaw teamed with Xavior in a Handicap Match against Kevin Morgan for SWCW. In addition to Outlaw's career being on the line, the ownership of the SWCW Tag Team Titles was also up for grabs as Morgan & Xavior agreed that they could no longer function together to defend them. During the course of this match, Kareem Sadat came out to assist Morgan in the match and when Morgan got the pin on Outlaw, he and Sadat were declared the SWCW Tag Team Champions.

The next day, Outlaw prepared to face Morgan in a 1-on-1 match. He came to the ring with Xavior and calmly took the microphone, saying that this was going to be a clean match. No branding iron. No loaded glove. He had to know who the better man was. He also insisted that Xavior go to the back, so there would be no interference. Xavior protested this, but Outlaw attempted to reassure him by saying that, no matter the outcome of the match, Xavior was the future of the business.

Outlaw lived up to his word. He wrestled a clean, scientific match against Morgan, which went almost 20 minutes before Morgan pinned Outlaw with a rollup. But while Outlaw could control his own actions, he couldn't guarantee the actions of his compatriot. Xavior came to the ring and attempted to attack Morgan. Outlaw once again demanded that Xavior go to the back, but Xavior wouldn't listen and hit Outlaw with his own branding iron. Morgan then speared Xavior. When Xavior recovered, he began to ramble at Outlaw, saying that he'd been told for the past month that he was the future of the business and that for him to be the future, he had to clear out the present. Outlaw stood in the middle of the ring and said his career was over, but called Morgan back to the ring to congratulate him. While Morgan was returning, Xavior began to run down Bad Boy. He demanded that Outlaw get out of "his" ring, but Outlaw & Morgan ignored him and embraced in the ring, much to the delight of the crowd.

Outlaw then took the microphone and made his last statement to the fans. He said Xavior had a long road ahead of him. He said that Kevin Morgan was a great athlete. He turned to Tom Jones and said he was a true legend, then addressed the fans, saying that none of the wrestlers were anything without them. He thanked them and suggested that they might not have seen the last of him in the wrestling business, but for the time being he was done. Then, in a complete turn of face, he told the crowd, "Boomer Sooner!" and left the area.

Outlaw returned at intermission and circled amongst the fans one last time, signing autographs and receiving congratulations from the fans. But as he made his way to the back for the second half of the show to start, Xavior burst out of the door and nailed him with the branding iron. He once again told Outlaw to get out of the arena and then again ran down Bad Boy, claiming that he didn't like the fans, or Oklafan or anything about the wrestling business except the money. Outlaw recovered and jumped in the ring, while Xavior circled around it. He again suggested that Xavior hadn't seen the last of him, but told him it would be OK for him to keep the branding iron, suggesting that it could be a curse, not a blessing.

And so ended the career of one of the most experienced veterans in central Oklahoma. Outlaw was very proud of being the senior member of the MSWA roster and would often brag about the wrestlers that had gone before him, claiming that made him the #1 man on the independent scene. But perhaps it was fate that was destined to catch up with Outlaw. Morgan debuted against Outlaw and won his first match. Maybe he always had Outlaw's number. Now he just has to try and live up to the legacy that Outlaw created as one of the toughest and one of the nastiest, but also one of the best.

Tags: Outlaw, Xavior, Kevin Morgan, MSWA, The Forsaken, Bad Boy, Ringmaster Randy, SWCW, Kareem Sadat, Tom Jones