Mad Dog

I believe Flair got the award 1982-1986.

I think time management is another big one for me. Watching old WWF TV it really strikes me how quick and snappy most segments were. Piper's Pit most weeks was maybe 5 minutes tops. And they would usually get more done in those 5 minutes than they get accomplished with the 20 minute openings they have now. The lack of change in the production is an issue to. The look of the shows have barely changed since the late 1990s. Go back and watch an NFL or NHL game from 1999 and watch a game from today. They look nothing alike. Look at an episode of Raw today and look at an episode of Raw in 1999. If you take HD out of the equation, there isn't much of a difference.

I think if I expanded this out to 10 guys I would go Hulk Hogan, Ted Dibiase, Hacksaw Jim Duggan, Harley Race, Ricky Steamboat, King Kong Bundy, Demolition (as a team, not individuals), Brutus Beefcake, Bret Hart and Jake Roberts.

This isn't all on WWE. But I despise how social media has crept into promos. The unnatural use of language really bugs me. Their buzzwords never fit. Michael Cole says weird shit that no one ever does. I want to stab him everytime he says WWE Universe.

I've never believed it. He was 45 at the time and had really declined physically. I'm not calling Hogan a tough guy but I think Hogan could have manhandled him pretty easily if he got the idea that Sheik was trying to pull some shit on him.

I think maybe Foley's first book plays a big role in that. Snuka jumping off the cage really has a mythic quality to it because a lot of people know about it and never saw it. Hell, I didn't even know it was after the match until that cage match DVD came out.

I thought of Slaughter but the height of his mainstream appeal was while he was out of the WWF.

I agree he's a key point to the era starting but his role within the era is pretty limited. I think guys like Beefcake, Demolition, Orndorff and Harley Race play a more important role within the era than the Sheik being part of the iconic moment that starts it.

Yeah but the Holy shit factor to Sheik is the fact that he's insane now. Going on radio shows in the late 90s and 00s and just being an absolute maniac has made him a bigger name today than he would have been otherwise.

I kind of feel that Sheik was living off his name for most of this. By 1986 he was just a middle of the road act. Bundy had the appearance on Married With Children and the programs with Hogan and The Machines. He also squished that midget at Mania.

Jake instead of Bundy. I would put Bundy on my list if Hogan was excluded from consideration.

Hulk Hogan, Ted Dibiase, Hacksaw Jim Duggan, King Kong Bundy and Ricky Steamboat.

An actual Scientific Wrestler with a lab coat and shit seems like a Chikara gimmick waiting to happen. Dr. Cube!

Yeah, but the combination of this and the Fingerpoke of Doom at the exact same moment really was the point where there would no be looking back. The triomphant moment of Mick Foley over the new young megastar and Steve Austin getting one of the biggest pop ever. Meanwhile, you had Hogan killing dead the remainders of WCW's last ray of hope, who already had been damaged by losing the title, and by forcing a reboot two years in a row and erasing whatever good the Sting angle and the Goldy push had produced. So yeah, in a way, that moment really was the turning point, also WCW would win one last battle with, oh irony, Hogan vs Flair on PPV a few months after. I think the Fingerpoke of Doom gets a little overstated in hindsight. It was really bad and probably the worst move either promotion made during the Monday Night Wars. But ratings stayed strong after that and they popped a huge buyrate for Hogan/Flair at Super Brawl. The massive amounts of injuries in the early part of 1999 and how badly they botched Hogan/Flair seems to have damaged the product more than the Fingerpoke did.

They could have used the Patriot to transition as well.

Back to 1987 WWF TV. Hart Foundation vs. Islanders from the 2/21 Superstars is easily the best match I've watched since starting these. I was pleasantly surprised as I haven't thought much of the Islanders and they have a way of fucking with any good potential match ups that there's been in the match. Harts and Islanders had some great chemistry in the ring.

I've been waiting a long time for you to make more Memphis.

J Crown Tournament if it's on there.

Steiner's Flatliner didn't look like it would hurt a fly.

Wasn't HHH trying to use a sleeper for awhile towards the end of 2002?

Did you get your cards yet? What did you think of the new set?

Yeah, there's an episode during the end of 81 or beginning of 82 where Roop was going on about how he taught Orndorff to counter the move and then Orndorff rolled the move over and Dibiase was holding on to not submit during the credits.

Seriously, it's a great podcast. Your show reminds me of when Comic Geek Speak does retrospectives on characters in their various eras. I love soaking up the info and getting a peak at an Era that I haven't seen a lot of.

I started listening to this show yesterday. Absolutely love it. I'm going to be listening to every episode of this.

Billy Gunn was using that sleeper hold slam during one of his failed singles runs.