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Memphis Wrestling promoter Corey Maclin sues WWE Print E-mail
Friday, January 11, 2008
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Photo: Christine J. Coons
The Memphis Daily News is reporting that Memphis Wrestling promoter Corey Maclin is suing World Wrestling Entertainment and seeking damages for a wrestling event Maclin promoted. Maclin had put together an event in April of 2007 with the main event of Hulk Hogan Vs. Jerry Lawler scheduled, however the match had to be scrapped when Lawler pulled out due to contractual reasons.

The event, known as the PMG Clash of Legends, was to be held at the Mid-South Coliseum on April 27, 2007 and the scheduled main event between Lawler and Hogan was promoted as Hogan trying to avenge a match he lost against Lawler over 20 years earlier when Hogan was in the early stages of his career. It was also believed to have been somewhat of a test run for a legends of wrestling style tour Hogan had been considering ever since he'd had his falling out with Vince McMahon months earlier. The event was later moved to the FedExForum when the Mid-South Coliseum was unable to meet regulations that had originally shut the building down in 2005.

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Jerry Lawler on Memphis TV
About two weeks before the event Lawler pulled out for "contractual" reasons, saying that being a NBC performer prevented him from appearing on the event  which was being taped for a future episode of Hogan's reality show on VH1, "Hogan Knows Best". Hogan and Maclin believed that Vince McMahon had pressured Lawler into pulling out of the show due to animosity between McMahon and Hogan, and were vocal in that belief. Paul Wight, formerly The Big Show in WWE and a longtime friend of Hogan's, took Lawler's place.

The show went on but Hogan Vs. Wight was not a match that locals were all that interested in and interest paled in comparison to the original match of Hogan Vs. Lawler, which featured the biggest star in professional wrestling history versus the biggest star in Memphis professional wrestling history. Only about 2,000 fans showed up for a show in a building that could hold over 20,000. The lack of crowd was attributed to the lack of Lawler and the cost of tickets, which were very high by Memphis wrestling standards.

The Memphis Daily News story can be read here.
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