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When We Were Kings: Jerry Lawler Challenges Rocky Johnson To A 'Boxer' vs Wrestler Match in '76

Posted: Nov 16th 2011 By: CMBurnham

In June 1976, Rocky Johnson was a young high-flying, muscular black wrestler?more chiseled than boxer Muhammad Ali?who had headlined St. Louis cards challenging Harley Race for the Missouri title when he got an unexpected call in June 1976 from young promoter Jerry Jarrett, asking him to appear in Memphis against the territory?s hottest heel, Jerry Lawler.

As he explained in the documentary ?Memphis Heat,? Johnson was perplexed initially when Jarrett wanted to book him as a boxer?not as a wrestler?to take advantage of the worldwide publicity surrounding Ali?s bout in Japan with grappler Antonio Inoki on June 26, 1976, at the Nippon Budokan arena in Tokyo. It helped that Rocky did in fact have some amateur boxing in his background to add credibility to the concept.

To give you an idea of the media circus, the heavyweight champ appeared alongside the inspiration for his ?heel? boxing persona, legendary brash wrestler Freddie Blassie, on ?The Tonight Show,? with guest-host McLean Stevenson.

To prove a point that a legit wrestler could beat any boxer in a fight, Johnson would be knocked out by the King of Memphis before returning later for revenge?eventually becoming the first black man to win the area?s Southern title.

But when he got the call in June ?76, Johnson claimed he balked at the overture?that is until Jarrett offered him a guaranteed amount of money to appear, a rarity for a territory known for its, um, frugal payoffs.

In a nice touch, with the Memphis TV still airing on WHBQ TV, channel 13, (before the Jarrett/Nick Gulas split), local sportscaster Charlie B. Watson even got in on the hype, with weigh-ins conducted at the studio like a legit sporting event.

Of course, Johnson?s past as a wrestler was never acknowledged?an omission you could get away in the days before the Internet and cable TV?as Rocky boasted to Watson that Lawler couldn?t last 15 rounds with him.

In front of a near-sellout crowd of 11,188 at the Coliseum on June 26, Lawler beat Johnson, no doubt with the help of a chain. The headline in the Memphis newspaper the next day highlighted the wrestler?s win.

A rematch at the Coliseum on July 12, drawing 10,138 fans, planted the seeds for Rocky to make the ?transition? to wrestling, as he knocked out Lawler in the 6th round.

Months later, after ?training as a wrestler,? Johnson beat Lawler for the Southern title on Nov. 1, kicking off a hot feud between the two. And for Memphis fans, plenty of whom were African-Americans, it gave them a true hero to identify with and rally behind.

The charismatic Johnson was almost the Ali of the South in the eyes of Memphis wrestling fans.

Johnson?s son, the Rock, would eventually make his debut in Memphis in 1996 as part of a developmental deal with WWE. From what I understand, Johnson?s kid has done pretty well for himself since then.